SpaceX Falcon 9 to Launch 27 Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg on Oct. 30, Window Opens 8:48 p.m. PT
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on the evening of October 30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, on a Starlink satellite mission. According to the launch advisory, the window opens at 8:48 p.m. Pacific and lasts about four hours; the rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), fly southeast, and deliver 27 Starlink broadband internet satellites to low Earth orbit. If the launch slips, a backup window is available on October 31.
The mission follows a California launch milestone: SpaceX has already completed the state's 72nd launch of 2026, surpassing the previous record set in 2025, and this flight would be the next one after the record. The two-stage Falcon 9, about 230 feet tall, is among the most active launch vehicles in the world. Because the launch takes place at night on a southeasterly trajectory, parts of Arizona may also be able to see it, depending on weather and darkness; no visibility is guaranteed.
SpaceX typically begins its webcast about 10 minutes before liftoff. Launches are frequently delayed by weather or technical issues, and residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may hear sonic booms.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：范登堡太空军基地猎鹰9号发射。SpaceX 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Photo by SpaceX, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
