SpaceX will launch a rocket carrying the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer E mission into orbit Thursday afternoon from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 1:32 p.m.
A livestream of the launch is expected to begin about 10 minutes before liftoff.
After the rocket separates from its first stage booster, the booster will return to Earth, with SpaceX aiming to land it on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean. This will take place about eight minutes after liftoff.
The Space Development Agency’s Tranche missions are building a constellation of satellites for U.S. military communications.
If Thursday’s mission is scrubbed, SpaceX says it has a backup launch opportunity starting at 1:24 p.m. on Friday, July 17.