SpaceX Set to Launch Classified USSF-385 Mission from California
SpaceX plans to send a classified U.S. Space Force payload into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base today. A Falcon 9 booster is expected to attempt a sea landing, while the payload details remain undisclosed. Public reports about Starshield satellites and exact counts have not been confirmed by SpaceX or the Space Force.
The mission is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Falcon 9 booster B1100 is assigned to its tenth flight, with a sea landing planned on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. The published launch window spans three hours, and the working target has shifted several times within it.
USSF-385 is headed to low Earth orbit, but no public spacecraft list, mass figure, or description of its operations has been released. A Sunday morning backup is reportedly planned if Saturday's window is missed. Public speculation about Starshield satellites and exact counts remains unconfirmed by SpaceX or the Space Force.
The launch may mainly affect space-monitoring communities, local residents near Vandenberg who may notice launch activity, and open-source analysts tracking the mission. Because payload details are classified, public understanding of the Space Force's capabilities may remain limited, while unconfirmed Starshield claims could keep circulating. The visible booster landing may still serve as a routine demonstration of reusable launch operations.