SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 21 military satellites into orbit
The launch was originally targeted for October 5
SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched the Falcon 9 carrying the SDA’s fourth Tranche 1 data transport mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The launch was aimed at sending 21 military satellites to low-Earth orbit comprising the fourth orbital plane in the SDA’s proliferated LEO architecture.
Approximately six minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster successfully landed at LZ-4, marking another seamless reusability milestone.
The space vehicle launched will provide data transport as a part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture which is a mesh network of optically connected satellites in orbit.
The network delivers global military tactical communications and missile warning, indication and tracking capabilities.
This is the fourth of nine contracted Tranche 1 missions for the SDA flown by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission marks the sixth launch for the first-stage booster, which previously supported NROL-179, SDA-T1TL-E, and three Starlink missions.
The launch was originally targeted for October 5, the mission was scrubbed for additional vehicle system checks and range deconfliction before achieving a healthy status ahead of launch.
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