SpaceX Launches 26 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg SFB on a Falcon 9 Rocket

SpaceX launched a series of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday evening. Another 26 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites were launched into low Earth orbit as part of the Starlink 15-4 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 6:15 p.m. PDT (9:15 p.m. EDT, 0115 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East.

This flight was launched by SpaceX using the Falcon 9 first stage rocket 1088. Among its five prior flights were two missions for the National Reconnaissance Office, the Transporter-12 smallsat rideshare, and NASA’s SPHEREx observatory.

The 129th booster landing for the droneship, “Of Course I Still Love You,” and the 445th booster landing overall, occurred little over eight minutes after liftoff when B1088 touched down on the droneship.

The launch on Monday night also marked SpaceX’s 18th California launch of the year. The corporation was given permission by the Department of the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration to launch from pad 4 East up to 50 times per year.

As of right now in 2025, SpaceX launches from California roughly once every 7.3 days. SpaceX launches from its droneships and two pads in Florida about once every 3.5 days on the East Coast.