- SpaceX officially confirms that at 8:42 a.m. Pacific Time on September 10, 2026, Falcon 9 will launch USSF-153 from Vandenberg SLC-4E.
- The mission involves a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force; the official website only provides the launch/recovery timeline and does not disclose details of the payload.
- The first-stage booster is on its 27th flight; after stage separation, it is scheduled to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
- The mission is listed as one of SpaceX's intensive national security launches for 2026 using Falcon 9.
SpaceX has confirmed on its official mission page that at 8:42 a.m. Pacific Time on September 10, 2026, a Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force (U.S. Space Force) into orbit. The company live-streamed the launch, but details of the payload remain classified.
Key points from the official program
SpaceX has stated that this is the 27th flight of the first-stage booster supporting the mission; the booster previously supported Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48, COSMO-SkyMED Second Generation FM3, and 16 Starlink missions. After stage separation, the first stage is scheduled to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. The official website also warns residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties that they may hear sonic booms, with the actual experience depending on factors such as the weather.
- Launch site: Vandenberg SLC-4E (commonly used for high-inclination/polar orbits)
- Recovery: Pacific droneship OCISLY
- Boundary of public information: Countdown and flight event timeline are listed, payload name/quantity/orbital parameters are undisclosed
| Item | SpaceX Public Data |
|---|---|
| Mission | USSF-153 (U.S. Space Force) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 |
| Launch | 2026-09-10 08:42 PT |
| Booster | 27th flight |
| Recovery | Of Course I Still Love You |
The tension between national security launches and public information
USSF-153 is a National Security Space Launch type mission: commercial launch vehicles are responsible for reliable orbital insertion and recovery, but the customer payload can remain confidential throughout. External reports have speculated, based on the flight corridor and parameters similar to those of the previous Starlink Group 15, that it may be related to the Starshield platform, but the SpaceX official page has not confirmed the identity of the payload; news focus should remain on the verified launch and recovery results. SpaceX's 2026 Falcon 9 flight schedule is extremely high, with Starlink and national security missions interspersed, and USSF-153 is one of the completed West Coast classified launches.
Primary sources: @SpaceX "Falcon 9 launches USSF-153 to orbit from pad 4E in California"; related posts include Liftoff/OCISLY recovery posts; mission page spacex.com/launches/ussf153.