Newshot SpaceX flies second US Space Force classified mission in six days, Falcon 9 completes 120th launch this year
IT之家 November 12 news: SpaceX launched a classified US Space Force mission from California on the evening of November 11 local time. This is the company's second such launch in just six days.
At 8:36 p.m. local time on November 11, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a mission designated USSF-627.
Less than a week earlier, Vandenberg had hosted a similar launch. On November 6, another Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the base on the USSF-432 mission.
Little is currently known about the USSF-627 and USSF-432 missions, as both are classified. However, some experts speculate that the two launches may each have sent a batch of SpaceX's Starshield military satellites into orbit, integrating them into the US Space Force's space surveillance and targeting system. This system falls under the US Space Force's space surveillance and targeting program and is mainly used to help the US military track potential targets worldwide.
SpaceX did not disclose specific payload information for the USSF-627 and USSF-432 missions. During both launches, the company ended its live broadcast shortly after the Falcon 9 first-stage booster returned to Earth.
In both missions, the first-stage booster successfully landed on SpaceX's drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" about 8 minutes and 30 seconds after launch. The recovery ship was stationed in the Pacific Ocean downrange from Vandenberg at the time.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster for the USSF-627 mission was number 1103, marking its seventh launch mission.
USSF-627 is the 120th Falcon 9 launch completed in 2026 and the 15th national security-related launch mission this year.
According to IT之家, of the 120 launches this year, 85 were used to deploy and expand SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellite network. Currently, the network has more than 11,000 satellites operating in low Earth orbit.
However, Falcon 9's launch frequency this year has not yet reached a historical record. In 2025, the rocket performed an astonishing 165 launch missions for the full year, 122 of which were used to deploy Starlink satellites.
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