Live coverage: SpaceX to launch classified payload for the U.S. Space Force

Central Coast launch watchers, set your alarms: SpaceX is gearing up for another classified national security mission lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, and this one starts early. Spaceflight Now reported that the mission, designated USSF-153, is scheduled for Thursday morning during a three-hour launch window that opens at 8:37 a.m. PDT.

As always with these hush-hush Space Force flights, details are scarce. The payload — an undisclosed number of satellites bound for low Earth orbit — is classified, and SpaceX didn't publish a post-launch timeline beyond the booster landing, which is expected nearly 8.5 minutes into flight.

What to Expect From Vandenberg

The Falcon 9 will fly from Space Launch Complex 4 East, the workhorse SpaceX pad on Vandenberg's south base that has become the heartbeat of the 805 launch scene. An 8:37 a.m. liftoff is about as good as it gets for local viewing: daylight, likely marine layer permitting, and a trajectory that typically carries the rocket south over the Pacific for polar and sun-synchronous orbits. Expect the usual viewing spots along Ocean Avenue in Lompoc and the Hollister Ranch coastline to draw a crowd, especially since a three-hour window means onlookers should be prepared to wait if the launch slips within the window.

Spaceflight Now noted it will carry live coverage beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff for those tracking from home.

A Record-Setting Booster

The first stage flying this mission, booster B1081, is no stranger to the job. Per Spaceflight Now, USSF-153 will mark its 27th flight — an impressive résumé that includes four NASA missions, two each for the National Reconnaissance Office, the European Space Agency, and rideshare customers, plus 16 batches of Starlink satellites.

If all goes to plan, B1081 will touch down on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Pacific. That landing would be the 224th on this particular droneship and the 660th Falcon booster recovery overall — milestones that underscore just how routine booster reuse has become for missions launching right off our coast.

Another Busy Year for National Security Launches

USSF-153 is SpaceX's fifth national-security-related mission of 2026, continuing a steady cadence of classified and military payloads departing from both coasts. Spaceflight Now listed the previous four: NROL-105 on Jan. 16, NROL-172 on May 11, the Space Development Agency's Third Tranche 1 Mission on July 16, and USSF-366 on Aug. 15.

Notably, NROL-105 also launched from Vandenberg's SLC-4E, so Thursday's flight adds to a growing local tally of secret missions. The most recent, USSF-366, was procured under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, according to Space Systems Command — though the agency offered little detail before or after that flight, and had not responded to Spaceflight Now's inquiry about USSF-153 at the time of publication.

Why the 805 Should Care

For Central Coast residents, missions like USSF-153 are part of the rhythm of life here. Vandenberg's unique position makes it the nation's premier launch site for polar-orbiting satellites — including the reconnaissance and defense spacecraft these classified missions typically carry. Each liftoff is a free spectacle, a reminder of the base's outsized role in national security space, and a boost for local launch-watching culture.

Keep an eye on the sky Thursday morning — and on 805.life for updates if the window shifts.