LaunchLAUNCH SUCCESSFULLive

USSF-385

· Falcon 9 · Vandenberg, California

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01

Mission

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bus, based on locations of rocket stage drop zones being exact fits with previous Starlink Group 15 launches.

Falcon 9 launched USSF-385 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This was the tenth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, B1100, which previously launched Starlink 15-20. After stage separation, the first stage landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship.

Mission briefing from SpaceX

On Saturday, September 26 at 7:00 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the USSF-385 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

This was the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-95 and eight Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

There was the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may have heard one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experienced depended on weather and other conditions.

Launched
07:00 PDT at the pad
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5 · SpaceX
Destination
Low Earth Orbit
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg, California 61st launch from this pad in 2026, 7 days after the previous
Latest update
Launch success.

180min

Launch window

10th

Flight of B1100

574km

Downrange landing, OCISLY

112th

SpaceX launch of 2026

02

Countdown

All times approximate · shown in your time zone, CEST · Timeline: SpaceX

  1. T−00:38:00SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
  2. T−00:35:00RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
  3. T−00:35:001st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins1st stage
  4. T−00:16:002nd stage LOX loading begins2nd stage
  5. T−00:07:00Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
  6. T−00:01:00Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
  7. T−00:01:00Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
  8. T−00:00:45SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
  9. T−00:00:03Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
  10. T−00:00:00Falcon 9 liftoff

03

Mission profile

From liftoff to landing

Mission profile of USSF-385, from liftoff to landing
Graphic: SpaceXFull resolution

04

Flight

All times approximate · shown in your time zone, CEST · Timeline: SpaceX

  1. T+00:01:12Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
  2. T+00:02:261st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)1st stage
  3. T+00:02:301st and 2nd stages separate
  4. T+00:02:362nd stage engine starts (SES-1)2nd stage
  5. T+00:02:56Fairing separation2nd stage
  6. T+00:06:041st stage entry burn begins1st stage
  7. T+00:06:261st stage entry burn ends1st stage
  8. T+00:08:011st stage landing burn begins1st stage
  9. T+00:08:231st stage lands on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship1st stage

05

Falcon 9 Block 5

SpaceX · Reusable · 634 flights, 633 successful, first flown May 2018

  • BoosterB1100 · 10th flight · previously Starlink Group 15-20 · Droneship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), landed
About Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

70m

Height

3.7m

Diameter

549t

Mass at liftoff

23t

Payload to low Earth orbit

7,607kN

Thrust at liftoff

06

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