On Friday, September 19 at 9:31 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink smallsats to low-Earth orbit joining the Starlink constellation from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and now six Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There was a possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may have heard one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experienced depended on weather and other conditions.
SpaceX to launch Starlink Group 17-12 from California on Friday
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 24 Starlink smallsats to low-Earth orbit joining the Starlink constellation from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The forecast calls for a temperature of 66°F, broken clouds, 53% cloud cover and a wind speed of 4mph.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and five Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.