SpaceX successfully launched a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force, designated USSF-385, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on September 26, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT; 7:00 a.m. local time). The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off despite foggy conditions and returned its first stage to Earth approximately 8.5 minutes later, landing on the SpaceX drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the tenth successful launch and landing for the specific booster, known as 1100.
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Details about the USSF-385 mission and its payloads remain classified, and SpaceX halted its launch webcast shortly after the booster touchdown, a customary practice for national security missions. This launch was the third Space Force flight for SpaceX within a span of 16 days, following previous missions USSF-153 and USSF-259 on September 10 and September 16, respectively.
As of now, the Falcon 9 has completed a total of 108 flights in 2026, with around 75% of these missions focused on deploying SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellite constellation, which boasts over 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.
In addition, SpaceX has conducted two flights each of its Falcon Heavy and Starship rockets this year, with a third Starship launch scheduled for September 28, 2026, during a 75-minute window starting at 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT). This upcoming test flight is significant, as it aims to achieve orbital flight for the first time.