SpaceX planning Saturday morning launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base - KSBY News

What the report says

KSBY San Luis Obispo News reported that SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday morning, with liftoff taking place shortly after 8:50 a.m. The mission carried 24 Starlink satellites toward low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East, known as SLC-4E.

The launch had originally been scheduled for 7 a.m., the opening of a four-hour launch window, according to KSBY. SpaceX provided a live webcast through its website and its account on X. The mission was part of the company’s continuing deployment of Starlink, its satellite internet network, which relies on repeated launches to expand and refresh service capacity in orbit.

KSBY reported that, after stage separation, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster was expected to land on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean. The booster had flown seven previous missions, mostly for Starlink, according to the report. No local sonic boom was expected, a detail relevant for residents near the Central Coast launch site.

The report said the mission marked the 51st overall launch from Vandenberg so far this year, underscoring the base’s busy role in West Coast space operations. Vandenberg is commonly used for launches into polar and other high-inclination orbits, making it a key site for satellite missions from California.