Add The California Post on Google SpaceX is set to blast off a Falcon 9 rocket from California Saturday night on a secretive military mission.
Little is known about the details, dubbed USSF-366, including what exactly is tucked inside the two-stage rocket.
The rocket is scheduled to launch at 6:50 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc.
If the launch is scrubbed, SpaceX has another shot Sunday at 2:38 p.m.
The classified mission could involve deploying a batch of military satellites into low-Earth orbit, according to several spaceflight outlets.
SpaceX announced late this week that it would serve as the launch provider for the US Space Force mission.
Despite the cloak-and-dagger nature of the payload, SpaceX plans to livestream the launch beginning about 10 minutes before liftoff.
The 230-foot Falcon 9 will haul the mysterious payload into space before its booster attempts to stick the landing on SpaceX’s drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, in the Pacific Ocean.
The controlled landing allows SpaceX to recover and reuse the booster for future missions.
SpaceX said people in those counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, although what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
