SpaceX launched a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force on the evening of Thursday, October 15, 2026. The mission, designated USSF-481 (also listed as “TH-2” in public notices), lifted off on a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 5:01 p.m. PDT (00:01 UTC on October 16).
What we know about the mission
As with most national security launches, the payload itself is classified. The rocket headed south after leaving the pad, and launch hazard warnings pointed to a low Earth orbit inclined roughly 80 degrees to the equator. USSF-481 is the second “TH” mission in two months; the first, USSF-259 (TH-1), flew on September 16.
Booster B1081 hits 28 flights
The first stage, booster B1081, was making its 28th flight. Its history is a good snapshot of how routine Falcon reuse has become: four NASA missions, three national security launches, two Transporter rideshares, two missions for European customers, and 16 Starlink flights. A little over eight minutes after liftoff it landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. According to Spaceflight Now, that was the 228th landing on that ship and the 671st Falcon booster landing overall.
Why it matters
Back-to-back classified launches from the West Coast show how much the Pentagon now leans on reusable Falcon 9 hardware for its national security manifest, with the same boosters flying government, commercial and Starlink missions interchangeably.
Source: Spaceflight Now