Photo: Bill Ingalls · Public domain (US government)
At Vandenberg SFB
USSF-266
Latest Now targeting Nov 23 at 16:04 UTC
Watch the flight in 3D
About this launch
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.
Where to watch
Official Webcast USSF-266 Mission X · EnglishEvery launch is announced on our Discord, and its /remind sends one to you as a direct message.
Questions
When does USSF-266 launch?
USSF-266 is scheduled to launch on 23 Nov 2026 at 16:04 UTC. The launch page shows the time in your own time zone with a countdown.
Where can I watch USSF-266 live?
The launch is streamed live on x.com. The launch page links it and shows when it starts.
Where does USSF-266 launch from?
USSF-266 launches from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What rocket launches USSF-266?
USSF-266 flies on Falcon 9 Block 5, launched by SpaceX.
Will the rocket be recovered?
Booster B1081: lands on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).
More about this launch
Timeline19 moments, from the countdown to landing of the first stage
T−00:38:00Launch director verifies go for propellant loadT−00:35:00Start of liquid oxygen loading in the first stageT−00:35:00Start of propellant loadingT−00:16:00Start of liquid oxygen loading in the second stageT−00:07:00Start of engine chillingT−00:01:00StartupT−00:01:00Fuel tanks are pressurized to flight levelsT−00:00:45Launch director verifies go for launchT−00:00:03Start of the engine ignition sequenceT+00:00:00First upwards movement of the rocketT+00:01:07Maximum dynamic pressureT+00:02:26Cut-off of the main engineT+00:02:29Separation of the second stage from the firstT+00:02:36First start of the second engineT+00:02:56Separation of the payload fairingT+00:06:03Start of the atmospheric entry burnT+00:06:27End of the atmospheric entry burnT+00:08:01Start of the first stage landing burnT+00:08:23Landing of the first stage
Point at an underlined moment, or tap it, for what it means. All the words of a launch
Flight profileThe climb and the booster's way back, seen from the side · 3D replay on the globe
Weather at the padCloudy · 17 °C · wind 4 km/h
Forecast for liftoff time, from a six-hour outlook
Cloudy
- Temperature
- 17 °C · 62 °F
- Wind
- 4 km/h · 3 mph from NE
- Cloud cover
- 95%
- Rain
- none
General forecast by MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Each launch range applies its own, stricter weather rules.
Launch window and padSpace Launch Complex 4E · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Window
- –
- Pad
- Space Launch Complex 4E
- Site
- Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Map
- Open in Google Maps
The pad: its launches and turnaround records → Everything launching from Vandenberg SFB →
Orbit and stages, explainedPolar orbit · what each of the two stages does
Where it's going: Polar orbit
- What it is
- An orbit over both poles. As the Earth turns underneath, the satellite passes over every part of the planet.
- How high
- Usually 500–1,000 km up. One lap takes about 94 minutes at 500 km.
- Who goes there
- Mapping, weather and reconnaissance satellites that must see the whole globe.
- Tilt
- Vandenberg SFB lies at 34.6° N, but rockets from there fly south, over the sea: east is over land. So its orbits are steep ones, most of them polar or sun-synchronous. This one aims for about 90°: it flies north or south, over the poles, and gets no push from the Earth's turn.
How the rocket gets it there
- First stage
- The biggest part of the rocket. It lifts everything off the pad and through the thick lower air, then shuts down and separates at about T+2:30, roughly 66 km up and moving about 8,000 km/h.
- Second stage
- Starts high above most of the air, where its engine works best, and builds the sideways speed for orbit, about 28,000 km/h. It shuts down at about T+8:40 in a first orbit about 500 km up.
Rocket and boosterFalcon 9 Block 5 · B1081, 29th flight
- Vehicle
- Falcon 9 Block 5
- Reusable
- yes
- Booster
- B1081 · 29th flight
Falcon 9: specs, record and next flights → Booster B1081: every flight → SpaceX: all its launches →
MissionGovernment/Top Secret · Polar Orbit · for US Space Force
Government/Top Secret · Polar Orbit
Customers: US Space Force
Updates4 · latest: Now targeting Nov 23 at 16:04 UTC
By the numbers7,446th orbital launch ever · SpaceX's 130th this year
- Orbital launch
- 7,446th ever · 273rd of 2026
- SpaceX
- 749th launch · 130th this year
- Pad
- 311th from Space Launch Complex 4E · 73rd this year
- Pad turnaround
- 2 days 3 h after its previous launch
Counted as if every launch before this one flies on schedule.
Links1 page about this launch
- SpaceX spacex.com
Support NextLiftoff The site has no ads. If it's useful to you, a small tip helps pay for the server.