For the third time this month, SpaceX has sent a national security mission to orbit.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the USSF-385 mission for the U.S. Space Force launched from California’s foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT; 7:00 a.m. local California time).
The rocket’s first stage came back to Earth as planned 8.5 minutes later, touching down in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You.” It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster, which is designated 1100.
Image 1 of 3
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises above the clouds during the USSF-385 launch.
(Image credit: SpaceX)
A view from the first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during the launch of the USSF-385 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Sept. 26, 2026.
(Image credit: SpaceX)
The Falcon 9 first stage lands on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You to end the mission.
(Image credit: SpaceX)
We don’t know much about USSF-385; its payloads, and their activities, are classified. We don’t even know exactly where it’s headed. SpaceX cut off its launch webcast shortly after booster touchdown, as it usually does on national security missions. (Generally, the company keeps its streams going through payload deployment.)
This was the third Space Force flight in the past 16 days for SpaceX. Falcon 9s also launched the classified USSF-153 and USSF-259 missions from Vandenberg on Sept. 10 and Sept. 16, respectively.
You may like
The Falcon 9 has now flown 108 times in 2026. The vast majority of these missions — 75% of them — have been dedicated to building out SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation, which currently consists of more than 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching the USSF-385 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Sept. 26, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Previous Booster 1100 missions
NROL-105 | 8 Starlink missions
SpaceX has also launched two flights apiece of its Falcon Heavy and Starship rockets so far this year. And it’s gearing up for the third Starship launch of 2026, which is scheduled to take place Monday morning (Sept. 28) during a 75-minute window that opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT).
This test flight, which you can watch here at Space.com, is a big one for the Starship program and for SpaceX overall. Starship will attempt to reach orbit, something the megarocket has never done before.