SpaceX Starlink 15-16 Launch Set for Tonight: 27 Satellites Aloft Would Give California a Record 72nd Launch of 2026
SpaceX is targeting a launch window opening at 9:45 p.m. Pacific Time tonight (October 26) for a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the Starlink 15-16 mission, carrying 27 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit on a southeast trajectory. The window runs until 1:45 a.m. PT on October 27.
The first-stage booster, B1082, will be flying for the 26th time, having previously supported NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, USSF-366, Transporter-18 and 14 Starlink missions. After stage separation, the booster is to land on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX will begin its live webcast about 10 minutes before liftoff. Residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms, depending on weather and other conditions.
Space Force officials say the recently completed Starlink 15-15 mission was California's 71st launch of 2026, tying the state's annual record set in 2025. A successful launch tonight would set a new record at 72. Launch times can shift because of weather and technical checks.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 猎鹰9号火箭从范登堡太空军基地发射星链任务，美国太空军官方照片，公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）；A Falcon 9 launching a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, U.S. Space Force photo, public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
