SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the National Reconnaissance Office Launch 77 (NROL-77) mission on Tuesday(Dec. 9), at 1916 UTC from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a classified national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO, which is responsible for the United States’ reconnaissance satellite fleet.

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1096 executed a successful landing at LZ-2, marking the 16th touchdown at that site and the 547th booster landing in SpaceX’s history. B1096, which completed its fourth flight, have previously supported NASA’s IMAP mission, Amazon’s Kuiper Falcon 01, and a Starlink 6-87 mission.

The Falcon 9's upper stage deploy the NROL-77 payload less than an hour after launch, confirmed by the NRO. National security missions tend to be classified, and NROL-77 is no exception. The NRO's press release, says the mission "carries a national security payload designed, built and operated by NRO."

The NRO and U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) emphasized that this partnership strengthens national space superiority through innovative launch solutions and shared expertise, especially in an increasingly contested space environment.

The mission patch for NROL-77 features a flying squirrel symbolizing endurance and the gathering of foundational knowledge from space, with the motto “Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow and Beyond.”

"The flying squirrel is a symbol of hard work and endurance — always active gathering foundational knowledge from the space domain for the nation and its allies," NRO officials wrote in the press release. "Every mission counts, every decision matters, and every advancement propels us further. 'Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond' embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence."

NROL-77 was the third mission that SpaceX has launched this year for the NRO and U.S. Space Systems Command, according to the company; and it's the second NRO mission launched by SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract awarded in August 2020, which allocates missions between SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) over five order years.

This particular flight was part of Order Year 5, announced on October 31, 2023, and one of ten missions assigned to SpaceX that year with a combined value of $1.236 billion.

This launch was also the seventh Falcon 9 mission of 2025 carrying the “NROL-” designation, following previous flights such as NROL-153, NROL-57, NROL-69, NROL-192, NROL-145, and NROL-48. The NRO has also procured some missions outside the NSSL program, such as the NROL-174 mission launched on a Northrop Grumman Minotaur 4 rocket in April 2025, due to the need for a bridge between NSSL Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Tuesday's mission marked the final national security payload launch for the NRO in 2025 and the last Falcon 9 booster recovery at Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral, as SpaceX prepares to shift its recovery infrastructure to new landing sites due to the expiration of its lease at LZ-1 and LZ-2 by December 31, 2025.

Populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has formally rejected the EU Council's 2026 obligations under the Migration and Asylum Pact, declaring that Hungary will neither accept asylum seekers nor pay financial contributions to the solidarity mechanism In a post on X, Orbán declared, “The rebellion begins,” accusing Brussels of attempting to force Hungary to take in migrants or pay for others’ obligations, which he called “unacceptable.”

Orbán reiterated that Hungary will not implement the measures of the Pact, asserting that his country already invests heavily in protecting the EU’s external borders. This stance is consistent with his previous opposition to the Pact, which was approved by the EU in May 2024 despite Hungary’s vote against it.

"Brussels has launched a new, absurd, and unjust attack against Hungary with yesterday’s migration decision, the Prime Minister wrote on X. "The claim by the European Commission that Hungary is not affected by the migration crisis is outrageous in itself and completely detached from reality. Hungary is the most stable bastion of defence in Europe, and even this year tens of thousands have attempted to enter illegally. We stopped them with our border fence and thousands of border guards, which Brussels punishes with a fine of €1 million/day.

"We have closed the southern route, but with the migration pact we now face a western front. The latest Brusselian decision requires that from next July Hungary must either take migrants in from other European countries or pay for them.

"I want to make it absolutely clear once and for all that as long as Hungary has a national government, we will not implement this outrageous decision.

"Anyhow, July is far away. Elections are coming next April. The Hungarian people must make an important choice: do they want a government that will strike a deal with Brussels and accept the migration pact, or do they stand with the national government and a migrant-free Hungary?"

In contrast, Poland has been granted an exemption from the mandatory migrant relocation requirement under the Pact. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on X that Poland has been freed from its obligations under the bloc’s solidarity mechanism starting from 2026, following a decision by the European Council.

This exemption means Poland will not be required to accept asylum seekers or contribute financially to the solidarity pool, a move that aligns with Poland’s long-standing resistance to EU migration policies.

The EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, which will fully enter into force in June 2026, establishes a mandatory solidarity mechanism to redistribute asylum seekers from countries under migratory pressure—Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus—to other member states.

The European Commission proposed a solidarity pool of 30,000 relocations and €600 million in financial contributions, with quotas based on population and GDP.

However, several member states, including Germany and Sweden, have expressed a preference for paying financial contributions—estimated at €20,000 per person not relocated—rather than accepting asylum seekers Sweden is reportedly set to pay €9 million in contributions, reflecting its willingness to fulfill its obligations financially rather than through resettlement.

The Council of the European Union has decided that the initial implementation of the solidarity mechanism will cover 21,000 asylum seekers or a cost of €420 million for 2026, a figure lower than the Commission’s initial proposal.

This reduction is expected due to political pressure from member states seeking to limit their responsibilities. Despite this, the EU remains divided, with countries like Poland and Hungary actively challenging the Pact’s enforcement.

Notably, Hungary cannot receive an exemption, as confirmed by the European Commission, which insists all member states must comply with the rules on migration solidarity.

The broader context of the Pact stems from years of negotiations and deep divisions within the EU over migration policy. The Pact aims to standardize asylum procedures, improve border security, and ensure a fairer distribution of responsibility among member states.

However, countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, have consistently opposed the system, arguing it undermines national sovereignty and borders.

The current standoff reflects a growing rift between the EU’s central authority and member states that resist mandatory relocation and financial contributions, with Hungary’s defiance symbolizing a broader challenge to EU cohesion on migration.

Israeli operatives are reportedly conducting widespread surveillance, including both open and covert recording, of U.S. forces and allied officials at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, a joint facility established in October 2025 to monitor the Gaza ceasefire and coordinate aid under Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza’s future.

The scale of the surveillance prompted Lt Gen Patrick Frank, the U.S. commander at the base, to demand that recording cease, according to sources briefed on internal disputes. The Israeli military has denied gathering intelligence on its partners, stating that meeting documentation is standard protocol and that discussions are unclassified.

The CMCC, located in a former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation building, serves as a hub for military planners from the U.S., Israel, the UK, and the UAE, and has hosted diplomats and humanitarian workers.

Despite its stated purpose of coordinating humanitarian aid and planning for Gaza’s future, Palestinian representatives and organizations are entirely excluded from the center. Attempts to include Palestinian voices via video calls have been repeatedly interrupted by Israeli officials.

U.S. personnel, including logistics experts trained for disaster response, were deployed to boost aid flows into Gaza but found Israeli restrictions on goods—such as tent poles, water purification chemicals, pencils, and paper—far more significant than logistical challenges, leading to the departure of several dozen personnel within weeks.

While the U.S. has leverage, Israel retains control over Gaza’s perimeter and final approval for what enters the territory.

The CMCC’s interior has been described as resembling a "dystopian startup," with informal meeting spaces, artificial grass, and corporate-style terminology like "Wellness Wednesdays" and "Thirsty Thursdays" to frame humanitarian tasks.

This environment has fostered concern among diplomats and aid workers about the mixing of military and humanitarian efforts, the lack of an international mandate, and the potential for the center to violate international law.

The U.S. military declined to comment on the surveillance allegations, while the Israeli military dismissed claims of espionage, asserting that its documentation of meetings is transparent and professional.

The controversy underscores growing diplomatic tensions over the CMCC’s role and the exclusion of Palestinians from planning their own future, even as the center operates under the framework of a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.