SpaceX (SPACE) has launched the first set of operational spy satellites aboard the Falcon 9 rocket into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as the U.S. moves to upgrade its space-based surveillance capabilities.

SpaceX launced a pioneering set of spy satellites for the U.S. government early on Wednesday morning (May 22). A Falcon 9 rocket carried the NROL-146 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to space after liftoff from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT; 1 a.m. local California time).

With an on-time liftoff of 10:35 p.m. Wednesday, a Falcon 9 rocket soared off the launch pad, illuminating the night sky over Cape Canaveral. Its payload: Starlink 6-62, which is the mission name for this batch of 23 Starlink satellites.