SpaceX Launches Secret U.S. Space Force Payload From California

Vandenberg Space Force Base, California – SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a national security payload for the U.S. Space Force on Wednesday night, after a Tuesday attempt was scrubbed before fueling because of an unexplained issue.

The USSF-259 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at 6:07:56 p.m. PDT on September 16. The rocket headed south after launch, with its classified payload expected to enter low Earth orbit at an inclination of roughly 80 degrees from the Equator.