Now targeting Oct 05 at 08:17 UTC
SpaceX / MISSION BRIEFING
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A
Falcon 9 Block 5 · Government/Top Secret
Go for launch
T−
00DAYS
15HOURS
48MINUTES
49SECONDS
Mission image · SpaceX
Mission overview
Tranche 1 Transport Layer A is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, which will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the full range of warfighter platforms from Low Earth Orbit satellites. The constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) which have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency crosslinks. It is expected to operate over Ka band, have stereo coverage and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth and fault tolerance. This launch carries 21 satellites manufactured by Northrop Grumman.
- Mission
- SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A
- Mission type
- Government/Top Secret
- Provider
- SpaceX
- Target orbit
- Polar Orbit
Timeline
Scheduled event sequence from Launch Library 2. These are planned milestones, not confirmed telemetry. Events remain unconfirmed until a verified source reports them.
GO for Prop Load
07:39 UTCLaunch director verifies go for propellant load
SCHEDULED
Prop Load
07:42 UTCStart of propelland loading
SCHEDULED
Stage 1 LOX Load
07:42 UTCStart of liquid oxygen loading in the first stage
SCHEDULED
Stage 2 LOX Load
08:01 UTCStart of liquid oxygen loading in the second stage
SCHEDULED
Engine Chill
08:10 UTCStart of engine chilling
SCHEDULED
Tank Press
08:16 UTCFuel tanks are pressurized to flight levels
SCHEDULED
Startup
08:16 UTCThe onboard computer takes control over the countdown and runs last checks
SCHEDULED
GO for Launch
08:16 UTCLaunch director verifies go for launch
SCHEDULED
Ignition
08:16 UTCStart of the engine ignition sequence
SCHEDULED
Liftoff
08:17 UTCFirst upwards movement of the rocket
SCHEDULED
Max-Q
08:18 UTCMaximum dynamic pressure
SCHEDULED
MECO
08:19 UTCCut-off of the main engine
SCHEDULED
Stage 2 Separation
08:19 UTCSeparation of the second stage from the first
SCHEDULED
SES-1
08:19 UTCFirst start of the second engine
SCHEDULED
Booster Boostback Burn Startup
08:19 UTCStart of the booster boostback burn
SCHEDULED
Fairing Separation
08:20 UTCSeparation of the payload fairing
SCHEDULED
Booster Boostback Burn Shutdown
08:20 UTCEnd of the booster boostback burn
SCHEDULED
Entry Burn Startup
08:23 UTCStart of the atmospheric entry burn
SCHEDULED
Entry Burn Shutdown
08:23 UTCEnd of the atmospheric entry burn
SCHEDULED
Stage 1 Landing Burn
08:24 UTCStart of the first stage landing burn
SCHEDULED
Stage 1 Landing
08:24 UTCLanding of the first stage
SCHEDULED
Mission intelligence
Explore connectionsFlight hardware
Mission activity
Listening for verified changes
Activity appears when ORBITAL observes a change between source records. No historical events are invented.
Read source update
GO for launch.
NET October 5 per marine navigation warnings, TBC.
NET October.
NET September.
NET mid-February.
Delayed to NET early 2026.
NET March 2025.
NET late 2024.
Adding launch
Schedule history
No changes recorded
Changes are recorded when ORBITAL retrieves data. The detection time may differ from the time the source changed its information.
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5SpaceX · United StatesFalcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
Payload
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A
Payload details are described in the mission overview. No independently structured payload manifest or payload mass has been provided by the source.
Target orbit
SCHEMATIC · NOT A FLIGHT TRAJECTORY
- Orbit
- Polar Orbit
- Classification
- PO
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Latitude
- 34.63200°
- Longitude
- -120.61100°
- Country
- United States
- Time zone
- America/Los_Angeles
Live & mission coverage
Official mission broadcast. Stream availability is controlled by the provider.
Sources
Source links and confidence are preserved with each mission. Official updates take priority when verified.
Launch Library 2high · P80
ll.thespacedevs.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCOfficial mission updatehigh · P100
www.spacex.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCOfficial mission updatehigh · P100
www.spacex.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.navcen.uscg.gov · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
aviationweek.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
spacenews.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
forum.nasaspaceflight.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.airandspaceforces.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.satellitetoday.com · Updated Oct 3, 2026 21:02 UTCMission photographs are provided by the original sources. Their rights remain with their creators; consult the source before reusing an image.