On Saturday morning, residents across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties reported hearing one or more sonic booms linked to a Falcon 9 rocket launch by SpaceX. The launch occurred at 7 a.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying a classified USSF-385 mission for the U.S. Space Force, according to Space.com.
Read More
The specifics of the mission, including its destination and activities, remain undisclosed. Typically, webcasts for national security missions are interrupted, which occurred with this launch as well. Approximately eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the rocket's first-stage booster successfully returned to a SpaceX drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
This launch represents SpaceX's third classified mission for the Space Force in just 16 days. Earlier in September, the company executed the USSF-153 and USSF-259 missions from the same launch site.
In 2023, the Falcon 9 has been launched more than 100 times, with about 75% of those missions focused on expanding the company's Starlink satellite internet service, which now comprises over 11,000 low-orbit satellites. Notably, Elon Musk's wealth increased significantly alongside these launches, with reports indicating he became the world's first trillionaire this summer as SpaceX's stock value surged.
Additionally, SpaceX is preparing for the 14th flight of its Starship rocket on Monday, which aims to achieve the first orbital mission for the vehicle, furthering the company’s ambitious projects.