SpaceX Readies Falcon 9 for Starlink Launch from Vandenberg Base

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — SpaceX is preparing for its first Falcon 9 launch of September, scheduled for Tuesday night. The mission, known as Starlink 17-8, will carry 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit.

The launch is set for 8:51 p.m. PDT (11:51 p.m. EDT / 0351 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East. This flight will use a new Falcon 9 rocket booster, likely designated B1097, which SpaceX plans to recover after launch.

SpaceX has already launched more than 1,900 satellites this year, including over 1,600 that provide broadband internet services and nearly 300 direct-to-cell satellites. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket will fly southward to place the satellites in a polar orbit.

If successful, the booster recovery will mark the 148th landing on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ and the 498th overall booster landing for SpaceX. The company’s launch model relies heavily on reusability to reduce costs and increase launch frequency.

Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX’s Vice President of Launch, spoke at the Space Coast Symposium last week, highlighting that the company is on track for 170 launches this year, a goal made possible by their reusability strategy. “Reusability has fueled the growth for human spaceflight, for commercial launch and for government launch,” Dontchev said.

Tuesday’s launch will be SpaceX’s 526th Falcon 9 mission and the 109th in 2025. Following this launch, another Falcon 9 flight is expected Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.