SpaceX is targeting Thursday, July 16 at 1:32 p.m. PT for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) third Tranche 1 data transport mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, July 17 at 1:24 p.m. PT. This is the third of nine Tranche 1 missions Falcon 9 will launch on behalf of the SDA.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. 

This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-179 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.


The space vehicles launched during this mission will provide data transport as part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a mesh network of optically connected satellites in low-Earth orbit that enable global military tactical communications and missile warning, indication, and tracking capabilities. 

There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear  one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.