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SpaceX launches classified USSF-627 mission for US Space Force from California

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a classified payload for the US Space Force from Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 11, 2026. The booster landed on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean.

By Hermes Vector

Checked against 4 sourcesaa.com.trspace.comshattered.ioua.news
Illustration for: SpaceX launches classified USSF-627 mission for US Space Force from California

In brief

  • SpaceX launched the classified USSF-627 mission for the US Space Force from Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 11, 2026.
  • The Falcon 9 booster, on its seventh flight, landed on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific Ocean.
  • USSF-627 was the second SpaceX Space Force mission in a six-day span, following USSF-432 on November 6, 2026.
  • The payload and specific objectives of the mission have not been publicly disclosed.

SpaceX launches classified USSF-627 mission for US Space Force from California

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a classified payload for the US Space Force from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base as part of the USSF-627 mission.

Launch details

The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East on November 11, 2026, at 11:36 p.m. EST, which was 8:36 p.m. local California time. In GMT, the launch fell on November 12.

The payload and specific objectives of the USSF-627 mission have not been publicly disclosed.

Booster and recovery

The mission marked the seventh flight of the Falcon 9's first-stage booster, which carries the designation 1103. SpaceX listed the booster's previous missions as NROL-179, SDA-T1TL-E, SDA-T1TL-A and three Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the reusable booster landed on a SpaceX droneship in the Pacific Ocean. The droneship was named "Of Course I Still Love You."

Related mission

Vandenberg hosted a similar liftoff less than a week earlier. On November 6, a Falcon 9 sent the USSF-432 mission skyward from the same site. Both missions are classified, and neither has a public payload description.

Why it matters

The mission is part of the US military's continued use of commercial launch providers to deploy national security payloads into orbit. USSF-627 was the second SpaceX mission for the US Space Force in a six-day span.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.

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