Saturday, July 18, 2026
SpaceX launches 21 SDA data-relay satellites; network hits halfway
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 21 York Space Systems satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 16, the third batch for the Pentagon's Tranche 1 Transport Layer and the agency's first launch after a roughly nine-month pause to work through technical and operational issues. The additions bring the proliferated low-Earth-orbit data-relay constellation to 63 of a planned 126 satellites - about half its intended size. The booster, on its fourth flight, landed on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific.
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