SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a classified U.S. Space Force payload from Vandenberg Space Force Base on September 10, 2026. The 8:42 p.m. PT liftoff marked the company’s 104th Falcon 9 flight of the year, featuring a successful booster landing on an offshore drone ship.
SpaceX executed a secretive military flight from the Southern California coastline, sending a payload into low Earth orbit for the U.S. military. The commercial spaceflight company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 lifted its Falcon 9 vehicle off the pad at Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) on Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
Liftoff occurred right on schedule at 8:42 p.m. PT, sending the rocket on a southeastern trajectory. In case of any technical delays, backup opportunities were established for the following day at 8:23 a.m. PT on Friday, September 11.
Falcon 9 Ascent and Vandenberg Launch Operations
The lower-stage booster relied on its nine Merlin-class engines to break ground before separating from the upper stage less than three minutes into the flight. The 45-foot upper-stage, powered by a single Merlin engine, continued the journey into space after shedding the protective payload fairing. SpaceX confirmed that the fairing halves would return to Earth for future recovery.
Ahead of the flight, local infrastructure developments continued to take shape near the launch site. A controlled demolition on June 16 cleared decades-old structures at Space Launch Complex-6, clearing the way for a second Southern California launch site that SpaceX plans to upgrade for Falcon Heavy missions.
Booster Recovery Aboard Of Course I Love You
Less than nine minutes after ignition, the first-stage booster completed a controlled descent. The vehicle executed atmospheric reentry, deployed its grid fins, and fired its engines to touch down vertically on an autonomous drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
The vessel, operated out of the Port of Long Beach, is nicknamed Of Course I Love You
after a spaceship featured in a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks. The booster will be transported back to shore to the launch complex to undergo refurbishment for another flight.
Classified Payload Deployment and Broadcast Restrictions
While the upper stage remained on track to deliver the payload to its designated orbit, public visibility ended early. SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force agreed to cut the live broadcast before payload deployment to keep operational details confidential.
SpaceX ended its livestream feed as the upper stage navigated orbit, withholding any visual feeds from space.
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