SpaceX scrubs Starlink 15-15 launch from Vandenberg, targets Wednesday afternoon
SpaceX scrubbed Tuesday's Falcon 9 launch of 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg over an apparent technical issue and is targeting a new launch window opening Wednesday afternoon.
SpaceX scrubbed the launch of a Falcon 9 carrying 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, after what appeared to be a technical issue that could not be resolved within the launch window, Spaceflight Now reported.
The company now plans another attempt during a window opening at 2:59 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, October 21 — 5:59 p.m. EDT / 2159 UTC — with the rocket flying on a southeasterly trajectory, according to Spaceflight Now’s live-coverage update issued at 7:06 p.m. EDT on October 20.
The mission, Starlink Group 15-15, is to place 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E, Tech Insider reported. It will fly on first-stage booster B1063, which would make its 36th flight — becoming only the second Falcon 9 booster to reach three dozen flights, Spaceflight Now notes.
Tuesday’s attempt would have been California’s 71st rocket launch of 2026, tying the state’s annual record. A Starlink 15-16 mission scheduled for Friday, October 23 would push the tally to 72 and set a new annual record, the Ventura County Star reported.
The scrub came hours after SpaceX COO and President Gwynne Shotwell said the company added 1.6 million customers in the third quarter, with Starlink active across 174 markets, during Tuesday’s earnings call.
Read more of Flip News’s Starlink coverage.
Read next: SpaceX nails Bandwagon-5 launch after weather scrub · India mulls hardware security layer for Starlink, foreign satcom operators
More on this topic: all Satellite Internet stories
