SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit on the 1st mission of 2026 (video)

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence from California on Jan. 2, 2026. — Credit: SpaceX

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.

a boxy golden satellite deploys into earth orbit from a rocket's upper stage — The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket deploys a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite into low Earth orbit for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence on Jan. 2, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX

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.