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SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space on Saturday morning as part of a classified mission for the U.S. military.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space on Saturday morning as part of a classified mission for the U.S. military. The rocket lifted off at 7 a.m. local time from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and headed south. The mission is part of the U.S. Space Force’s USSF-385 program. The Falcon 9’s booster, identified as B1096, was used for the 10th time. The rocket’s first stage successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” stationed in the Pacific Ocean. According to experts, this was potentially the third launch in a series of missions carrying SpaceX’s Starshield satellites, which are developed for the U.S. government. Starshield is a government and military-focused version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system. At the customer’s request, SpaceX did not release images or details of the rocket’s payload or second stage.
