SpaceX launches classified USSF-432 mission for US Space Force — Space.com

On November 6, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the classified USSF-432 mission for the US Space Force from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch took place at 4:48 p.m. local time. It was SpaceX's 125th launch since the beginning of 2026, Space.com reports.

First-stage landing

The Falcon 9 first stage landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. It was the eighth flight for booster No. 1095.

SpaceX ended its broadcast about 10 minutes after liftoff, shortly after the first-stage landing. The rocket's upper stage continued flying with the classified payload.

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Assumptions about the payload

Neither SpaceX nor the US Space Force disclosed mission details before the launch. Outside observers suggest that the payload may be headed to low Earth orbit.

NextSpaceflight.com suggests that it could be a batch of classified satellites for the Space Based Sensing and Targeting program, built on the Starshield satellite platform. According to Space.com, Starshield is intended to provide services to the US military and its allies and is largely based on the Starlink satellite platform.

USSF-432 became the 119th Falcon 9 launch in 2026 and the 14th flight of this rocket in the interests of US national security since the beginning of the year. More than 70% of Falcon 9 launches this year were intended to deploy the Starlink satellite constellation.