SpaceX to Launch Classified USSF-366 Mission on Falcon 9 Booster's 18th Flight

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, August 15 for the launch of USSF-366, a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with liftoff targeted for 2:52 p.m. PT and a backup window on Sunday, according to the company's mission page and local reports from KEYT and KSBY. The payload's exact contents and destination remain classified, though the flight profile is consistent with a batch of government low-Earth-orbit satellites.

A Busy Saturday on Both Coasts

The mission marks the 18th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage, a booster that previously launched NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57 and 13 Starlink missions; after separation it will attempt a landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean. Hours later, SpaceX will launch the Globalstar 2-R Launch 1 mission from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40, using a booster on its 14th flight and returning it to Landing Zone 40 — bringing sonic booms to Florida's Space Coast. The launches underscore SpaceX's cadence: Falcon 9 has flown 620 times with a 99.8 percent success rate, according to Space Launch Live.