Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, California
Video from the channel Spaceflight Now about Falcon 9, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 44:19. Language: English. Video type: Livestream.
What's being broadcast
Live coverage from Spaceflight Now of the launch of SpaceX's Starlink 15-22 mission, a Falcon 9 that lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on August 26, 2026, at 2:35 a.m. Pacific time (09:35 UTC). The rocket carried 27 optimized Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. The first stage was booster B1082, on its 24th flight, which was to land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. As the countdown progressed, the commentator ran through SpaceX news. The day before, the company had unveiled Starbase Louisiana, a roughly 125,000-acre spaceport south of Lafayette with five launch complexes of two pads each. Construction would begin in 2027, with the first launch expected in 2029. It also announced that the Starlink 10-549 mission had been the last Falcon-launched Starlink mission planned from Florida: from now on, these Falcon 9 missions will fly from Vandenberg.
Key moments
Propellant loading, RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen, began at T-35 minutes. This was followed by chilldown of the lines, retraction of the service arm (strongback) and confirmation that the rocket was ready for launch. After liftoff came the push through supersonic speed, Max-Q, first-stage engine cutoff (MECO), stage separation, ignition of the Merlin Vacuum engine and fairing separation. The booster performed a three-engine reentry burn and a center-engine landing burn, touching down on the droneship. The fairing halves were to be recovered at sea and brought in through the Port of Long Beach.
Result
The launch and booster recovery went as planned, and the second stage reached its parking orbit. Satellite deployment was scheduled for 1 hour and 2 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of about 265 km and an inclination of about 70°. It was the 683rd launch of a Falcon 9, the 101st of the year, the 221st landing on that ship and the 655th landing of a Falcon booster.