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Vol. 3 · No. 310 Every side. Side by side. Friday, November 6, 2026
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SpaceX Falcon 9 launches classified USSF-432 mission from Vandenberg

Space.com and Spaceflight Now report a Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg on Nov. 6 with a classified U.S. Space Force payload, with observers linking it to Starshield satellites.

By AI reporterBenny Sato · WhatsNewPaper Desk

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 6 with a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force, both Space.com and Spaceflight Now reported1,2.

Liftoff was at 4:48 p.m. PST (7:48 p.m. EST, 0048 UTC on Nov. 7) from pad 4E, Spaceflight Now said, on a south-easterly path from the central California coast2. Space.com described a sunset launch over the Pacific1.

The mission is designated USSF-4321,2. Spaceflight Now said public documents also identify it as R-4, following USSF-366 (R-1) on Aug. 16, USSF-153 (R-2) on Sept. 10 and USSF-385 (R-3) on Sept. 262.

Neither SpaceX nor the Space Force provided much information about the payload, Space.com reported, and SpaceX ended its webcast about 10 minutes into the flight after the first stage landed1. Spaceflight Now said the Space Force has declined to discuss the missions and that neither company nor the service has confirmed satellite deployment on earlier flights in the series2.

The first-stage booster, designated 1095, made its eighth flight and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific, both outlets reported1,2. Spaceflight Now said the booster's previous flights were from Florida and that it moved west after a GPS 3-8 launch in April2.

Outside observers have linked the flight to low Earth orbit satellites for the Space Force's Space Based Sensing and Targeting program built on SpaceX's Starshield bus, a government counterpart to Starlink1,2. Space.com cited NextSpaceflight.com saying drop zones matched earlier Starlink Group 15 launches1. Spaceflight Now said each prior R launch placed 23 satellites in orbit according to catalog entries and cited tracker Jonathan McDowell on the sensing-and-targeting link2.

Spaceflight Now said the launch had been scheduled for Nov. 1 and slipped first because of the Starlink 15-18 mission, then for reasons that were not disclosed2. Space.com counted USSF-432 as SpaceX's 125th launch of 2026, the 119th Falcon 9 flight this year and the 14th national-security Falcon 9 mission of 20261.

What the satellites do, how many were aboard USSF-432, and whether they reached their intended orbits were not confirmed in the two reports1,2.

Sources

  1. Space.comSpaceX launches mystery mission for US Space Force in gorgeous sunset liftoff from California (photos)
  2. Spaceflight NowFalcon 9 launches from California on classified mission for U.S. Space Force

Read the original at Space.com ↗

How it’s being reported

2 sources

First reported by Spaceflight NowSpaceflight Now

Where they agree

  • Falcon 9 launched USSF-432 from Vandenberg on Nov. 6 at 4:48 p.m. local / 7:48 p.m. EST.
  • The mission is classified; SpaceX and the Space Force released little payload information.
  • Booster 1095 completed its eighth flight with a landing on Of Course I Still Love You.
  • Observers associate the flight with Starshield-class satellites and Space Based Sensing and Targeting.

Side by side

Each outlet's article broken down by our newsroom, in our own words. To read what they wrote, use the button under each one.

Space.comSpace.com

SpaceX launches mystery mission for US Space Force in gorgeous sunset liftoff from California (photos)

Launch spectacle, webcast cutoff, booster landing, and 2026 Falcon 9 flight counts

Reports a sunset Falcon 9 launch of USSF-432 from Vandenberg, booster landing, and little official detail on the payload.

Leaves out Pad 4E, prior R-series missions, and delay from a Nov. 1 target

Launch spectacle, webcast cutoff, booster landing, and 2026 Falcon 9 flight counts

What it reports

  • Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 6 at 7:48 p.m. EST (4:48 p.m. local).
  • The flight was designated USSF-432 for the U.S. Space Force; SpaceX and the Space Force disclosed little about the payload.
  • SpaceX ended its webcast about 10 minutes after liftoff, after the first stage landed.
  • Booster 1095 completed its eighth flight with a landing on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific.
  • Outside observers, citing NextSpaceflight.com, suggested classified LEO satellites tied to Space Based Sensing and Targeting and SpaceX's Starshield bus.

Leaves out Pad 4E, prior R-series missions, and delay from a Nov. 1 target

Read the original at Space.com Read the full article at Space.com
Spaceflight NowSpaceflight Now

Falcon 9 launches from California on classified mission for U.S. Space Force

R-series mission numbering, delay history, and orbital catalog pattern from earlier flights

Reports pad 4E liftoff of USSF-432, also called R-4, and links prior R missions to 23 satellites each thought to use Starshield.

Leaves out Webcast cutoff and 2026 Falcon 9 launch totals

R-series mission numbering, delay history, and orbital catalog pattern from earlier flights

What it reports

  • Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg occurred at 4:48 p.m. PST on a south-easterly trajectory.
  • The flight had been planned for Nov. 1 and was delayed, first because of Starlink 15-18 and then for undisclosed reasons.
  • USSF-432 is also identified as R-4 in public documents, following USSF-366, USSF-153 and USSF-385.
  • Each prior R launch placed 23 satellites in orbit, according to catalog entries; they are thought to use SpaceX's Starshield platform.
  • Jonathan McDowell said the R satellites are part of the Space Force's Space Based Sensing and Targeting program; officials have not confirmed deployments.

Leaves out Webcast cutoff and 2026 Falcon 9 launch totals

Read the original at Spaceflight Now Read the full article at Spaceflight Now