Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches secretive U.S. Space Force mission from California
Video from the channel Spaceflight Now about Falcon 9, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 47:44. Language: English. Video type: Livestream.
What's being broadcast
Live broadcast from Spaceflight Now of the launch of the U.S. Space Force's USSF-153 mission on 10 September 2026, with a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Base, California. The payload is classified. The commentator notes that public notices list it as R2, just like an earlier mission designated R1, and suggests it could be part of an 18-launch Falcon 9 contract awarded to SpaceX in July worth about $1.6 billion, though there is no official confirmation. Due to the mission's classified nature, SpaceX does not broadcast second-stage footage after separation.
Key moments
Before liftoff, the loading sequence is reviewed: RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen, helium to pressurize the tanks, chilling of the nine Merlin 1D engines, and retraction of the strongback, which tilts about 13 degrees. The rocket is also described: a fairing 13.1 m tall and 5.2 m in diameter, whose halves are flying for the 30th and 28th time; a vacuum-optimized Merlin engine on the second stage; and a first stage with about 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Booster B1081, on its 27th flight, began its career in Florida with the Crew-7 and CRS-29 missions in 2023 before moving to the West Coast. The forecast gave a 70% chance of favorable conditions. Liftoff was at 8:42 a.m. Pacific time. Afterward came Max Q, first-stage engine shutdown, stage separation, second-stage ignition, and fairing separation. The first stage performed a reentry burn of about 24 seconds and a landing burn with the center engine.
Outcome
The first stage landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. It was the 224th landing on that vessel and SpaceX's 547th drone-ship landing. According to the figures given during the broadcast, it was the 686th launch of a Falcon 9 and the 104th of the year. Confirmation of payload deployment was pending an announcement from the Space Force.