SpaceX to launch 26 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of 26 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit on Monday night.

The mission, dubbed Starlink 15-9, will be the 200th orbital launch to date from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Station. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled at 8:36 p.m. PDT (11:36 p.m. EDT, 0336 UTC).

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.



SpaceX will use the Falcon 9 rocket booster tail number B1093, which will make its third flight. It previously launched the Starlink 11-11 and Starlink 15-5 missions.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1093 will target a landing on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If successful, this will be the 137th touchdown on this vessel and the 463rd booster landing to date.

Among the 199 previous orbital launches from SLC-4E, 131 of them were Falcon 9 rockets. The pad was first occupied by the Atlas-Agena rocket shortly after the Air Force Western Test Range activated in May 1964.

It would go on to launch multiple variants of the Titan rocket until October 2005.

SpaceX is currently going through the review process for acquiring SLC-6 as well to use for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.