SpaceX launches classified USSF-385 mission for the US Space Force from Vandenberg

SpaceX is set to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on a classified mission for the US Space Force from California on Saturday, with a three-hour launch window opening at 4:56 a.m. PT (11:56 UTC), according to the live mission tracking page on Space Launch Schedule. The USSF-385 mission will lift off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, reported TechTimes and the Ventura County Star.

Neither SpaceX nor the Space Force has said what is under the payload fairing, and no details of the payload have been publicly released. Spaceflight watchers note the flight profile matches earlier deployments, and TechTimes reports the mission is expected to carry another batch of Starshield reconnaissance satellites — though that remains unconfirmed speculation.

The Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, serial number B1100, will make its tenth flight and is expected to land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean about eight and a half minutes after liftoff, according to Spaceflight Now’s mission coverage.

The Ventura County Star notes this is the third classified US Space Force mission to fly on a Falcon 9 this month, while launch watchers say it is the sixth and final Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg in September.

SpaceX plans a live webcast beginning about ten minutes before liftoff on its X account. Residents in the area may hear sonic booms, local outlet KEYT reported.