Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-266
Falcon 9 Block 5 is scheduled to launch the USSF-266 mission for SpaceX from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, no earlier than Nov 16, 2026 (UTC).
Launch pad
Space Launch Complex 4E · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-266
Launched Nov 17, 2026 2:07:00 AMGo
Flight direction
180° S
estimated from the target orbit · inclination 90.0°
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
Can I see it from my city?
Daytime launch: only nearby, as a bright moving point or trail.
- Santa Maria, CAonly 37 km away: look southwest; it climbs high into the sky
- San Buenaventura (Ventura), CAabout 131 km away: look west, low on the horizon
- Oxnard, CAabout 137 km away: look west, low on the horizon
Rough guide: clouds, the horizon and the rocket's path decide in the end.
About the 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.
Mission description from Launch Library 2.
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Tue, Nov 17 · 2:07:00 AM · in 6.8 days
- Status
- Go
- Launch provider
- SpaceX
- Rocket
- Falcon 9 Block 5
- Mission type
- Government/Top Secret
- Target orbit
- PO
- Launch pad
- Space Launch Complex 4E · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA