SpaceX is preparing to launch a classified payload for the United States Space Force on Thursday afternoon from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. PDT (8:01 p.m. EDT / 0001 UTC). The mission, designated USSF-481, will take a southerly trajectory upon leaving the pad. Hazard warnings suggest that it will fly to a low Earth orbit inclined about 80 degrees from the Equator.
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
SpaceX will launch this mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1081. This will be its 28th launch following four missions for NASA, three nationals security missions, two Transporter rideshare missions, two missions for Europe, and 16 Starlink missions.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1081 will target a landing on the droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, positioned in the Pacific Ocean. If successful, this will be the 228th landing on this vessel and the 671st Falcon booster landing to date.
The USSF-481 is also referenced as “TH-2” in public notices. It’s the second “TH” mission launched in as many months with the first being USSF-259 or TH-1 on Sept. 16.
Spaceflight Now reached out to the Department of the Air Force regarding the nature of the mission. This article will be updated if we receive a response prior to launch.
