SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites
SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base
SpaceX successfully launched 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Monday, April 7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff occurred at 4:06 p.m. PDT (7:06 p.m. EDT, 2306 UTC), marking the sixth orbital launch from the base this year. The launch, initially targeted for 3 p.m. PDT, utilized a Falcon 9 rocket, with a launch window extending until 6:35 p.m. PDT on Monday and resuming Tuesday at 2:13 p.m. PDT.
A new Falcon 9 first-stage booster, potentially B1091, was debuted on this mission. This is the second new booster introduced by SpaceX in 2024, following B1092’s launch on February 27. SpaceX aims to reduce the number of new boosters introduced annually, increasing reuse to potentially 40 launches per booster. Currently, SpaceX operates 18 active Falcon boosters—11 on the East Coast and 7 on the West Coast. Only one booster, B1072, previously used as a Falcon Heavy side booster, remains unused as a Falcon 9 booster. This launch marks the 428th booster landing for SpaceX. The first stage booster targeted a droneship landing, "Of Course I Still Love You," approximately eight minutes after launch, achieving its 124th successful droneship landing. SpaceX’s live webcast of the launch was available online.
This Starlink mission follows a recent launch of an SES communications satellite from Florida, where a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched a 15,600-pound satellite, the heaviest of its kind, and then landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The April 7th launch is one of several planned SpaceX Starlink missions from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. Other upcoming missions include the NASA-SpaceX CRS-32 resupply mission to the International Space Station, a United Launch Alliance national security mission (USSF-106), the SpaceX-Axiom Space Ax-4 crewed launch, and a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket launch. While not yet officially announced by SpaceX, a navigational warning indicates a possible launch window for the Starlink 12-17 mission.
SpaceX successfully launched 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Monday, April 7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff occurred at 4:06 p.m. PDT (7:06 p.m. EDT, 2306 UTC), marking the sixth orbital launch from the base this year. The launch, initially targeted for 3 p.m. PDT, utilized a Falcon 9 rocket, with a launch window extending until 6:35 p.m. PDT on Monday and resuming Tuesday at 2:13 p.m. PDT.
A new Falcon 9 first-stage booster, potentially B1091, was debuted on this mission. This is the second new booster introduced by SpaceX in 2024, following B1092’s launch on February 27. SpaceX aims to reduce the number of new boosters introduced annually, increasing reuse to potentially 40 launches per booster. Currently, SpaceX operates 18 active Falcon boosters—11 on the East Coast and 7 on the West Coast. Only one booster, B1072, previously used as a Falcon Heavy side booster, remains unused as a Falcon 9 booster. This launch marks the 428th booster landing for SpaceX. The first stage booster targeted a droneship landing, "Of Course I Still Love You," approximately eight minutes after launch, achieving its 124th successful droneship landing. SpaceX’s live webcast of the launch was available online.
This Starlink mission follows a recent launch of an SES communications satellite from Florida, where a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched a 15,600-pound satellite, the heaviest of its kind, and then landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean. The April 7th launch is one of several planned SpaceX Starlink missions from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. Other upcoming missions include the NASA-SpaceX CRS-32 resupply mission to the International Space Station, a United Launch Alliance national security mission (USSF-106), the SpaceX-Axiom Space Ax-4 crewed launch, and a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket launch. While not yet officially announced by SpaceX, a navigational warning indicates a possible launch window for the Starlink 12-17 mission.
