SpaceX Falcon 9 Set for Pre‑Dawn Classified Space Force Launch From Vandenberg
The scheduled mission signals a continued, discreet deployment of government-focused Starshield-style satellites supported by reused Falcon 9 boosters and droneship recoveries.
Overview
- A Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch the USSF-385 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a three-hour window opening at 5:56 a.m. Pacific Time.
- The payload is officially classified and not disclosed, though observers and reporters say the flight is likely another deployment of SpaceX’s government-oriented Starshield satellites.
- The first stage booster B1100 is set to fly its 10th mission and return to the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You about eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
- This launch is described as the sixth and final Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg this month, reflecting a shift of some East Coast Falcon activity as SpaceX concentrates Starship work at Cape Canaveral.
- Previous secretive Vandenberg flights placed large groups of cataloged objects into orbit, so the mission could further build a discreet military communications constellation and affect local skies with possible sonic booms and limited visual sightings.