SpaceX to Launch 27 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg Today; Booster Set for 36th Flight
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday afternoon, October 20, for its Starlink Group 15-15 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to carry 27 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), with a launch window running from 3:14 p.m. to 7:14 p.m. Pacific Time.
According to SpaceX's mission information, the first-stage booster, tail number B1063, will be flying for the 36th time. It previously supported the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission, NASA's DART asteroid-deflection mission, Transporter-7 and 26 Starlink missions. After stage separation, the booster is to land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX's live webcast is expected to begin about 10 minutes before liftoff.
The Ventura County Star reported that the flight would be California's 71st orbital launch attempt of 2026, tying the annual record set in 2025; another Starlink launch planned for Friday, October 23, would break it. SpaceX said residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may hear sonic booms during the launch, depending on weather and other conditions.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：猎鹰9号火箭发射资料图，SpaceX 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch (file photo), by SpaceX, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
