USSF-62 Mission: SpaceX Launches Weather Satellite To Orbit For Space Force

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a U.S. Space Force weather satellite lifted off on April 11, from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 1425 UTC, on the USSF-62 mission.

"We’re absolutely thrilled be out here on the Central Coast, with a superb team primed and ready to launch the USSF-62 satellite," Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader for Space Systems Command's Launch Execution Delta, said in an emailed statement. "With each national security launch, we add to America’s capabilities and improve its deterrence in the face of growing threats." USSF-62 is SpaceX's second launch of the year for the Space Force.

The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth as expected, landing at Vandenberg's Landing Zone 4 just under eight minutes after liftoff. It was the third launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX.

This also marks the first time SpaceX is using "flight-proven" payload fairings -- the "nose cone" that protects satellites during launch -- for a national security launch, the company revealed on X. "These fairings previously supported the USSF-52 mission last December."

The Falcon 9 second stage successfully deployed the Weather System Follow-on — Microwave (WSF-M) satellite to low Earth orbit less than an hour after liftoff. According to BAE Systems which developed and built it, WSF-M is a next-generation spacecraft that "will provide critical and actionable weather intelligence to military operations in all warfighting domains."

USSF-62 is SpaceX's 37th launch of 2024; the 12th national security space launch on a Falcon 9 to date; and the 3rd launch in the last 11 days from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

"Congrats SpaceX Team & @SpaceForceDoD on completing 3 orbital Vandenberg launches in 11 days!" the rocket company's chief Elon Musk wrote on X. "Might be a record."

WATCH SpaceX launch of the USSF-62 mission