USSF-481
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 31° from T+1:00Exhaust trail in daylight
- Los Angeles, CA227 kmWSW, up to 21° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- Fresno, CA246 kmSSW, up to 14° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- San Jose, CA322 kmS, up to 12° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- San Diego, CA384 kmW, up to 18° from T+1:30Exhaust trail in daylight
- Tijuana, Mexico406 kmWSW, up to 17° 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 ascent rocket stage drop zones being fits with previous SDA Transport Layer launches.
- Launch time (UTC)
- Oct 16, 00:01 UTC
- Precision
- Second
- Window
- Oct 15, 23:44 UTC – Oct 16, 03:44 UTC
- Orbit
- PO
- 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
- 639 / 640 successful
- Success streak
- 342
- First flight
- 2018-05-11
- Reusable
- Yes
Booster
- B1081 — 28th flight. Landing (ASDS) on Of Course I Still Love You: landed.
Mission timeline
- T−38:00GO for Prop Load
- T−35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
- T−35:00Prop 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+01:07Max-Q
- T+02:26MECO
- T+02:29Stage 2 Separation
- T+02:36SES-1
- T+03:01Fairing Separation
- T+06:01Entry Burn Startup
- T+06:24Entry Burn Shutdown
- T+08:00Stage 1 Landing Burn
- T+08:09Stage 1 Landing
This is the 243rd orbital launch attempt worldwide this year, SpaceX's 120th launch this year, the 303rd launch from Space Launch Complex 4E.
Launch time changes · 1
- Oct 15, 11:09 UTC Slipped +13.1m to Oct 15, 23:57 UTC
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