Click for next articleSpaceX launched a secret mission for the U.S. Space Force today (Sept. 10) from California's central coast.
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 record for a SpaceX rocket is 37, set last month during a launch of the company's Starlink internet satellites.
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship after launching the USSF-153 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 10, 2026.
Signup to our newsletter Follow us on GoogleToday's launch was the 104th Falcon 9 mission of 2026.
Click for next article
SpaceX launched a secret mission for the U.S. Space Force today (Sept. 10) from California's central coast.
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 came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes later, landing in the Pacific Ocean atop the SpaceX drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You." It was the 27th flight for this particular booster, which is designated B1801. The record for a SpaceX rocket is 37, set last month during a launch of the company's Starlink internet satellites.
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship after launching the USSF-153 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 10, 2026. (Image credit: 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 touchdown provided some potentially useful information about USSF-153, according to NextSpaceflight.com .
The mission might be carrying "a batch of classified LEO [ low Earth orbit ] satellites for a U.S. government entity based on SpaceX's Starshield satellite bus, based on locations of rocket stage drop zones being exact fits with previous Starlink Group 15 launches," the outlet wrote.
"Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts," SpaceX wrote in a description of the Starshield program.
Signup to our newsletter Follow us on Google
Today's launch was the 104th Falcon 9 mission of 2026. Eighty of the rocket's flights this year have been dedicated to building out 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 Sept. 10 with news of successful launch and rocket landing.
