SpaceX launched a secret mission for the US Space Force today (September 10) from the central coast of California. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 11:42 a.m. EDT (1542 GMT; 8:42 a.m. local time), kicking off a mission called USSF-153. The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes later, landing in the Pacific Ocean atop the SpaceX “Of Course I Still Love” spacecraft. You.” It was the 27th flight of this particular booster, dubbed B1801. The record for a SpaceX rocket is 37, set last month during the launch of the company’s Starlink Internet satellites. The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of an unmanned spacecraft after launching the USSF-153 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 10, 2026. (Credit image: SpaceX) USSF-153 is a classified mission, so little is known about its payloads—what they are or where exactly they’re headed. We didn’t get much clarity from the webcast, which ended shortly after the Falcon 9’s first stage landed. However, the location of that landing provided potentially useful information about USSF-153, according to NextSpaceflight.com You may like The mission could carry “a batch of classified LEOs. [low Earth orbit] “Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts,” SpaceX wrote in a description of the Starshield program. Previous Booster 1081 Launches Today’s launch was the 104th Falcon 9 mission of 2026. Eighty of the rocket’s flights this year have been dedicated to building the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of more than 11,000 active spacecraft. Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:55 a.m. ET on September 10 with news of successful rocket launches and landings.
