Politico reported on October 22, 2026, that SpaceX was moving toward decommissioning Falcon 9 as it focused on Starship. The U.S. Space Force had not disclosed a date for its final Falcon 9 mission. Space Force official Zarybnisky said the timing depends on the readiness of spacecraft already covered by launch-service contracts.
What determines the Space Force’s last Falcon 9 mission date?
The schedule depends on when spacecraft customers with existing launch-service contracts are ready. Zarybnisky said the Space Force was tracking those programs’ build-and-test progress with SpaceX, and that their readiness would drive the date of the final mission.
Politico separately reported that some commercial satellite companies had been unable to secure Falcon 9 flights after 2028. That booking issue concerned commercial customers; Zarybnisky’s explanation concerned the spacecraft already under government launch-service contracts.
NeoTeo previously covered SpaceX’s reported gradual shift away from Falcon 9 and Dragon, background to the transition now raising questions about national-security launch planning.
What the existing launch awards cover
On April 4, 2025, Space Systems Command announced anticipated National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 allocations of 28 missions for SpaceX, 19 for United Launch Alliance (ULA) and seven for Blue Origin during fiscal years 2025–2029. Lane 2 is the procurement path for providers that meet the full launch requirements for the Department of Defense’s most critical payloads.
The allocations set anticipated mission totals by provider. Zarybnisky’s account ties the timing of the Space Force’s final Falcon 9 mission to the readiness of spacecraft already under contract.
Payload preparation adds a separate constraint
A June 30, 2025, Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit reported that Space Force officials forecast annual shortfalls of up to two payload-processing bays in fiscal years 2026–2030. Payload processing is the stage when a satellite is integrated with its launch vehicle before transport to the launch pad.
The audit also recorded officials’ estimate that around 70% of Department of Defense missions are multimanifested, meaning several payloads share a launch and can occupy multiple processing bays at the same time. Those figures concern the ground-side preparation of missions.
