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
NASA releases new photos of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS - 2Australia’s post-Bondi crackdown accused of targeting pro-Palestinian voices
- 3EU foreign ministers commemorate Russian massacre in Bucha
- 4High velocity Internet services for Metropolitan Regions
- 5Reports: Nepal's former PM arrested over deadly protest crackdown
- New heart disease calculator predicts 30-year risk for young adults
- Deaths reported in Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah exchange attacks
- Artemis II updates: NASA's moon mission breaks Apollo record for farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth
- 5 Superstar Couples That Motivate Relationship Objectives
- Journey Travel Objections for Your Next Experience
- Energy agency chief warns of 'black April' for oil supplies
- Paratroopers kill terrorist who threw rocks at Israeli citizens, soldiers near Ofra in West Bank
- Israel has clear objectives south of Litani River, but will face difficult choices further north
- Study shows no clear link between low-fat dairy and dementia risk
