SpaceX Launching Falcon 9 With 25 Starlink Satellites

SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on February 7.

According to SpaceX, the launch window runs from 9:05 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. PT.

The rocket is set to lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East, sending the satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The mission will mark the first-stage booster’s 13th flight. The booster has previously supported missions including NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and eight other Starlink launches.

Following stage separation, the first-stage booster is expected to land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

A live webcast of the launch is expected to begin about five minutes before liftoff.

The launch can be viewed on SpaceX’s X account, SpaceX’s website and on the X TV app.

On January 17, SpaceX announced that its Falcon rocket family had completed 600 total launches, marking a major milestone for the company.

Falcon completes its 600th overall mission! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team! pic.twitter.com/aJQQ7g0U1W

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 17, 2026

Sonic Boom Issues

SpaceX has warned that residents in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms, depending on weather and atmospheric conditions at the time of launch.

In late January, Central Coast residents reported hearing “aggressive” and “jarring” sounds from a launch, with some describing shaking homes and rattling windows, Edhat reported.

Residents have expressed growing frustration as launches from Vandenberg become more frequent, describing sonic booms as a familiar but increasingly disruptive part of daily life.

Sonic booms typically occur during the booster’s return through the atmosphere, when it descends at speeds faster than sound, creating a shockwave that can be heard on the ground.

To better understand and address sonic boom impacts, Vandenberg Space Force Base has expanded its ECOBOOM research program.

So far, the program has collected data from 23 launches, including 477 acoustic recordings from monitoring stations across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Researchers have found that upper-level winds above approximately 15 kilometers play a major role in where sonic booms are ultimately heard. The data is analyzed using PCBoom software to model and visualize sound travel under varying atmospheric conditions.

Beyond community disruption, sonic booms have also raised environmental concerns.

Officials say the findings could help guide future launch planning as activity at Vandenberg continues to increase, balancing national security and commercial space missions with environmental protection and residents’ quality of life along California’s Central Coast.