| SpaceX Is Launching a Mystery Military Mission From California Tonight |
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September 16, 2026
SpaceX Is Launching a Mystery Military Mission From California Tonight
There’s a rocket launching from California tonight—and the government isn’t saying exactly what it’s carrying. SpaceX is scheduled to launch the USSF-259 mission for the U.S. Space Force Wednesday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 6:07:56 p.m. PDT. The Falcon 9 will head south after blasting off from Space Launch Complex 4E, but when it comes to the actual payload, details are being kept under wraps. So... What’s On Board? That's the fun part—or the frustrating part, depending on how curious you are. The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command hasn't publicly revealed what USSF-259 is carrying. The mission is part of a series of recent national-security launches, following USSF-366 on August 15 and USSF-153 on September 10. Public documents have identified those missions as R1 and R2, with each reportedly carrying 23 satellites. USSF-259 is identified as TH-1, with another mission, R-3, scheduled for September 27. Basically, we know a rocket is going up. We know it's important to national security. And that's about where the details stop. It Was Supposed to Launch Tuesday The mission was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but SpaceX called off the launch before fueling began. No explanation was immediately provided. Now the rocket is back on the schedule for Wednesday evening. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster assigned to the mission has already been around the block—it will be making its 13th flight. The booster has previously launched missions including Sentinel-6B, Twilight, NROL-172 and eight Starlink missions. After separation, the booster is expected to land on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, that would mark the droneship's 224th booster landing and the 661st Falcon booster landing overall. You Might Hear It—or Even See It If you're anywhere around Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo or Ventura counties, SpaceX says there's a chance you could hear one or more sonic booms following the launch. Whether you hear them will depend on weather and other conditions. And if you're hoping to actually see the rocket, you'll have a shot at catching the launch after sunset. Getting away from city lights and heading toward the mountains or desert could give you a better view of the night sky. SpaceX plans to begin its live webcast about 10 minutes before liftoff. So tonight, Southern California gets another rocket launch—and this time, whatever is riding into space is staying a mystery.  Posted by Johnny Ice at 10:43 AM |
Image Credit: spacex.com