When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
SpaceX launched the first mission of 2026 tonight (Jan. 2).
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California tonight at 9:09 p.m. EST (6:09 p.m. local California time; 0209 GMT on Jan. 3), carrying an Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit.
The rocket's first stage landed back at Vandenberg as planned about 8.5 minutes after liftoff. It was the 21st flight for this particular booster, according to SpaceX.
About 4.5 minutes later, the Falcon 9's second stage deployed the payload — a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite — into low Earth orbit for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence.
The spacecraft will study Earth using synthetic aperture radar, gathering data at all times of day and in all weather conditions from an altitude of 385 miles (620 kilometers).
COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation is a small network designed to "monitor the Earth for the sake of emergency prevention, strategy, scientific and commercial purposes, providing data on a global scale to support a variety of applications," according to a European Space Agency explainer.
Among those applications are "risk management, cartography, forest & environment protection, natural resources exploration, land management, defense and security, maritime surveillance, food & agriculture management," the explainer adds.
Three COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellites have now launched to date. The first one flew in December 2019 atop a Soyuz rocket, and the second lifted off in January 2022 on a Falcon 9.
Tonight's liftoff was the first of 2026 not just for SpaceX but for the global launch community.
It's no surprise that SpaceX is breaking in the year. Elon Musk's company launched a whopping 165 orbital missions in 2025 — far more than any other entity, either commercial or governmental. That was also a record for SpaceX, which the company may aim to break again this year.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:25 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 with news of successful launch, rocket landing and satellite deployment.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Trump signs a law returning whole milk to school lunches - 2Did we start the fire? A 400,000-year-old hearth sparks new questions about human evolution
- 3Medical team successfully delivers baby and removes massive tumor
- 4Yemen's Houthis ready to join Iran war if needed, raising new shipping risk
- 5Aspirin can prevent a serious pregnancy complication — but too few women get it, new report suggests
- Dominating the Art of Composing: Creator Bits of knowledge
- The Most Astonishing Arising Advancements to Watch
- Analysis-NASA's moon mission tests aerospace old guard as SpaceX, Blue Origin hover
- SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California on 160th Falcon 9 flight of the year (video)
- Extreme Manual for Picking a Camper Van
- Peruvian ex-President Martin Vizcarra sentenced to 14 years in prison
- Over 60 local leaders push Netanyahu to halt haredi draft bill, warn of social rift
- Doctor's orders? ‘Belly laugh at least two to five days a week'
- NASA says Maven spacecraft that was orbiting Mars has gone silent
