SpaceX conducts classified USSF-366 launch from Vandenberg
SpaceX lifted off a classified Falcon 9 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Saturday night, with analysts suggesting the payload may be Starshield satellites, part of the company’s national-security program.
SpaceX launched a classified Falcon 9 mission for the U.S. Space Force from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday night. The launch, identified as USSF-366, began at 9:52 p.m. ET and continued into the early hours of Sunday, according to the company’s mission page, which listed the payload only as classified. SpaceX confirmed the launch on its X account and provided a livestream that started about ten minutes before liftoff.
Analysts tracking the rocket’s stage drop zones noted a pattern consistent with previous Starlink Group 15 missions and suggested the payload is likely part of SpaceX’s Starshield program – a version of the Starlink satellite bus built to Pentagon specifications for earth observation, communications and hosted payloads. Unlike commercial Starlink, Starshield missions are not required to disclose their specific functions once in orbit.
USSF-366 follows a series of classified and semi-classified contracts between SpaceX and the Space Force. In April, the company received a $178.5 million task order to launch missile-tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency, and in July it secured a $1.6 billion award covering 18 additional Falcon 9 missions from Vandenberg through 2027. Combined, SpaceX’s Pentagon contracts are projected to exceed $8 billion in 2026.
The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to a landing site near the launch complex, producing the routine sonic booms heard by nearby residents. Details about the payload remain undisclosed, and neither SpaceX nor the Space Force has confirmed a Starshield connection. The launch underscores the growing portion of SpaceX’s work that occurs without public visibility, despite the company’s frequent livestreams of other activities.