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Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E launched on Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 08:32 PM UTC — a SpaceX mission.
Launch SuccessfulSpaceX
Lifted offNET Jul 2026
NET Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 08:32 PM UTC
Live coverage
Watch the webcasts
3 streams available — switch between the provider’s feed, X and others.
Mission profile
The flight at a glance
Falcon 9Vehicle
SpaceXProvider
Space Launch Complex 4EPad
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USALocation
Government/Top SecretMission type
Polar OrbitOrbit
Flight sequence
Mission timeline
Key events from liftoff — ignition, staging, separation and deployment — with their times relative to T0.
- GO for Prop LoadT- 00:38:00
- Prop LoadT- 00:35:00
- Stage 1 LOX LoadT- 00:35:00
- Stage 2 LOX LoadT- 00:16:00
- Engine ChillT- 00:07:00
- StartupT- 00:01:00
- Tank PressT- 00:01:00
- GO for LaunchT- 00:00:45
- IgnitionT- 00:00:03
- LiftoffT+ 00:00:00
- Max-QT+ 00:01:14
- MECOT+ 00:02:29
- Stage 2 SeparationT+ 00:02:33
- SES-1T+ 00:02:41
- Fairing SeparationT+ 00:03:21
- Entry Burn StartupT+ 00:06:23
- Entry Burn ShutdownT+ 00:06:46
- Stage 1 Landing BurnT+ 00:08:13
- SECO-1T+ 00:08:35
- Stage 1 LandingT+ 00:08:37
Flight simulation
Ascent to orbit
A representative gravity-turn climb for Falcon 9 to Polar Orbit. Illustrative model — not this mission’s live telemetry.
Mission timeT+0:00
Altitude0.0 km
Velocity0.00 km/s
PhaseLiftoff
T+0:00 / 8:50
SimulatedRepresentative Falcon 9 ascent profile — illustrative model, not this mission’s live telemetry.
The mission
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E
Tranche 1 Transport Layer E 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 York Space Systems.
Around this launch
Related news
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As coverage publishes, deduplicated articles about this mission will appear here.
Good to know
Frequently asked
What time does Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E launch?
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E is scheduled to lift off Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 08:32 PM UTC.
Where can I watch Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E?
Watch the official live webcast embedded on this page — it goes live shortly before liftoff.
Who is launching Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E?
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E is a SpaceX mission flying on a Falcon 9.
Where does Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E launch from?
It lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.