SpaceX lofted another batch of next-gen reconnaissance satellites for the U.S. government this morning (April 12).

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's central coast today at 8:25 a.m. EDT (1225 GMT; 5:25 a.m. local California time).

The launch kicked off the NROL-192 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which builds and operates the United States' fleet of spy satellites.

NROL-192 continues a facelift of sorts for that fleet: It was the ninth launch in support of the NRO's "proliferated architecture," a new network comprised of large numbers of small, cost-efficient satellites (rather than a relative handful of highly capable but expensive craft, which has been the historical norm for the NRO).