WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 24 successfully launched the classified NROL-69 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, putting the agency on a path to build the largest ever U.S. government satellite network.

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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...