A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 16, carrying 21 satellites for the U.S. Space Force's Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) constellation. The T1TL is a low Earth orbit network that will provide global communications and encrypted regional connectivity for military operations. The mission marks the third Falcon 9 launch delivering T1TL satellites to orbit.
The booster, flying its fourth mission, landed successfully on a drone ship about 8.5 minutes after liftoff. With this launch, 63 of the constellation's eventual 126 satellites are now in orbit. The T1TL will form part of the larger Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a network of hundreds of optically linked small satellites that the SDA plans to expand with new tranches every two years to increase military capability.