Falcon 9 to Launch SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C Sept 30, 2026

SpaceX will launch the SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C mission on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket no earlier than 00:00 UTC on 30 September 2026 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The flight delivers a batch of missile-tracking satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) into low Earth orbit.

What is the SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer?

The Tracking Layer is the space-based missile detection and tracking component of the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Its satellites carry wide-field-of-view infrared sensors designed to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles from low Earth orbit, feeding targeting data to the ground below within seconds.

Tranche 1 is the first operational generation of this architecture. The full Tranche 1 Tracking Layer comprises roughly 35 satellites distributed across multiple orbital planes, launched in successive batches. This flight — designated Tracking Layer C — adds another plane to that constellation, building toward global missile-warning coverage.

When is the launch?

The launch is scheduled for 00:00 UTC on 30 September 2026, with the status currently listed as TBD (to be determined). SDA and SpaceX launch times frequently shift as vehicle processing, range availability, and payload readiness are finalized, so the date should be treated as a target rather than a fixed liftoff.

What rocket is being used?

The two-stage Falcon 9 Block 5 stands 70 meters tall and is the most-flown orbital rocket in operation, with a reusable first stage that returns to land or to a droneship after separation. Its nine Merlin 1D engines produce roughly 7,600 kilonewtons of thrust at liftoff. For polar and sun-synchronous missions from Vandenberg, SpaceX flies southward over the Pacific, and first stages typically land back at Landing Zone 4 adjacent to the pad or on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You.

Track the ascent and every stage of the mission on the Cosmik live 3D map, and see other upcoming West Coast flights on the Vandenberg launch schedule.

What is the payload and where is it going?

The payload is a batch of SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer satellites bound for low Earth orbit. SDA operates its Tracking Layer in orbital shells at approximately 1,000 kilometers altitude, positioned to give overlapping infrared coverage of the globe. Once operational, these satellites cue missile-defense systems and other elements of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

The Tracking Layer works alongside the SDA Transport Layer, a much larger mesh-networked data-relay constellation. Together they form the backbone of a low-latency, proliferated defense network the agency is fielding in tranches through the late 2020s.

How to watch live

SpaceX typically begins its webcast on X and YouTube about 15 minutes before liftoff. National-security payloads sometimes have restricted coverage that ends after fairing deployment, per SpaceX mission policy. Confirm the final time on the Cosmik rocket launch schedule before tuning in, and follow developments on the latest launch news page.

Follow SpaceX launch activity

SpaceX conducts the majority of the world's orbital launches each year, splitting its Falcon 9 flights between Florida and California. Browse the operator's full manifest on the SpaceX launch hub.

Where does this data come from?

Launch details are drawn from public manifests aggregated via The Space Devs Launch Library. Background on the vehicle and constellation is drawn from established public sources including Falcon 9, SpaceX, and Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Follow the launch live on Cosmik

Watch the countdown, follow Falcon 9 in real time, and see the SDA satellites join the constellation on the Cosmik live 3D solar-system and satellite map. Enable free launch alerts so you never miss liftoff, and learn how to track satellites once they reach orbit.