SpaceX conducted a static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket April 25 in preparation for an April 30 launch to carry NROL-76 into orbit.

NROL-76 will be the first national security launch for SpaceX since successfully launching and landing a previously flown Falcon 9 booster March 30.

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Phillip Swarts joined SpaceNews as a staff writer in 2016 to cover military space.