USSF-385
SpaceX · Falcon 9 Block 5 · Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
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Where it was visible
Daytime launch: visible as an exhaust trail near the pad.
- Santa Barbara, CA87 kmSW, up to 45° from T+1:00Exhaust trail in daylight
- Los Angeles, CA227 kmSW, up to 34° from T+1:00Exhaust trail in daylight
- Fresno, CA246 kmS, up to 15° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- San Jose, CA322 kmSSE, up to 11° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- San Diego, CA384 kmSW, up to 36° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- Tijuana, Mexico406 kmSW, up to 37° from T+2:00Exhaust trail in daylight
Estimates from a typical ascent toward the likely orbit. Real trajectories, cloud and haze vary; the farther away, the lower and shorter the view.
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.
- Launch time (UTC)
- Sep 26, 14:00 UTC
- Precision
- Second
- Window
- Sep 26, 11:56 UTC – Sep 26, 14:56 UTC
- Orbit
- LEO
- Mission type
- Government/Top Secret
Rocket · 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.
- Height
- 70 m
- Diameter
- 3.65 m
- Liftoff mass
- 549 t
- Liftoff thrust
- 7,607 kN
- To LEO
- 22,800 kg
- To GTO
- 8,300 kg
- Track record
- 638 / 639 successful
- Success streak
- 341
- First flight
- 2018-05-11
- Reusable
- Yes
Booster
- B1100 — 10th flight. Landing (ASDS) on Of Course I Still Love You: landed.
Mission timeline
- T−38:00GO for Prop Load
- T−35:00Prop Load
- T−35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
- T−16:00Stage 2 LOX Load
- T−07:00Engine Chill
- T−01:00Startup
- T−01:00Tank Press
- T−00:45GO for Launch
- T−00:03Ignition
- T−0Liftoff
- T+01:12Max-Q
- T+02:26MECO
- T+02:30Stage 2 Separation
- T+02:36SES-1
- T+02:56Fairing Separation
- T+06:04Entry Burn Startup
- T+06:26Entry Burn Shutdown
- T+08:01Stage 1 Landing Burn
- T+08:23Stage 1 Landing
This is the 232nd orbital launch attempt worldwide this year, SpaceX's 112th launch this year, the 299th launch from Space Launch Complex 4E.
Next from Vandenberg
- Go for LaunchStarlink Group 15-15
SpaceX · Falcon 9 Block 5 · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Go for LaunchStarlink Group 15-16
SpaceX · Falcon 9 Block 5 · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA