Northrop Grumman's first plane of 21 Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites was successfully launched on Oct. 10, 2026. Photo: SpaceX

Following a five day delay due to a launch vehicle issue, the Space Force on Saturday successfully launched the first 21 satellites built by Northrop Grumman [NOC] for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer. A SpaceX [SPCX] Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., at 12:39 a.m. Pacific Time on Oct. 10, bringing the total number of Trance 1 Transport Layer satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to 84, the Space…