This is a new development in a story we reported earlier: SpaceX launches USSF-481 classified mission for Space Force in low Earth orbit.
Key facts
- The booster was expected to return and land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You after stage separation.
- Liftoff occurred at 5:01 p.m. PDT (8:01 p.m. EDT / 0001 UTC) on 15 October 2026.
- The mission was designated USSF-481 and also referenced as "TH-2" in public notices.
- Prior to this mission, booster B1081 had flown four NASA missions and three national security missions.
SpaceX launched a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force, with the launch accompanied by a bugle call and the National Anthem at Vandenberg Space Force Base, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, executing the mission that was scheduled for that day. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:01 p.m.
PDT. The launch occurred within the scheduled window of 4:44 p.m. to 8:44 p.m. PDT. Key times: Liftoff at 0001 UTC. If the launch did not occur on Thursday, a backup window was available on Friday, Oct. 16, starting at 4:35 p.m. PDT.
Roughly eight minutes after the Falcon 9’s liftoff, booster B1081 (the first‑stage of the Falcon 9) touched down on the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ (an autonomous sea‑going landing platform) in the Pacific Ocean. The booster was projected to return to the droneship following stage separation. The touchdown was the 228th on that particular droneship and the 671st Falcon booster landing.
Public notices identify the mission as USSF-481 and TH-2, making it the second TH-classified launch in as many months. The first, USSF-259 (TH-1), launched on Sept. 16, 2026.
SpaceX contacted the Department of the Air Force about the mission’s details. If a response arrived before launch, we would update the article. The Vandenberg launch ceremony featured a bugle call and rendition of the National Anthem.
SpaceX used Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1081 for the mission, its 28th flight. Before this flight, B1081 had completed four NASA missions, three national security missions, two Transporter rideshare missions, two missions for Europe, and 16 Starlink launches.
Its previous flights included Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48, and COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM3. The Falcon 9 took a southerly path, inserting the payload into a low Earth orbit inclined roughly 80 degrees from the Equator.
The payload headed for a polar low-Earth orbit. People could hear sonic booms from the launch across the surrounding area, with the reach varying based on weather and conditions.
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