SpaceX Prepares Falcon 9 Starlink Launch as Vandenberg’s Sonic Boom Discussions Continue

SpaceX is targeting the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket to expand its Starlink satellite constellation. This comes as Vandenberg Space Force Base continues to see increasing launch activity alongside ongoing community discussions around sonic booms.

SpaceX’s next mission is targeting to launch 25 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on April 14, 2026, with a liftoff window from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT, the company announced on its website.

This will be the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which had earlier launched USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20, NROL-145, and 17 Starlink missions. 

After stage separation, the first stage is expected to land on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship that will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean. 

A live webcast of the mission is scheduled to begin around five minutes before liftoff. It can be viewed on SpaceX’s website, on X, and on the X TV app. 

Residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the rocket’s launch. However, residents’ experience depends on weather and other conditions. 

SpaceX’s reusable, two-stage Falcon 9 rocket is designed to transport payloads into orbit and beyond and return its first stage booster for landing and reuse. 

The rocket’s reusability feature allows SpaceX to reuse its most expensive parts, helping to lower the cost of space access. So far, Falcon 9 has completed 624 missions, and achieved 578 landings, and 543 reflights. 

The April 14 launch is part of SpaceX’s initiative to deploy satellites to build Starlink’s constellation. 

Starlink aims to provide high-speed, low-latency internet with over 99% uptime and reliable connectivity from anywhere in the world. Starlink’s broadband internet aims to deliver connectivity that can support streaming, online gaming, video conferencing, and more.

Starlink consists of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet closer to Earth, at about 550 km, and cover the entire world. Since Starlink satellites are in a low orbit, latency is considerably lower, according to SpaceX. 

Currently, there are more than 6,750 satellites in orbit serving millions of customers globally. 

Vandenberg’s Next ‘Mission Update’ 

Amid heightened launch activities at Vandenberg Space Force Base, base officials are increasing efforts to engage with the Central Coast communities. Vandenberg is taking its ‘Mission Update’ speaker series on the road for its third chapter, with the next event scheduled to be held in Carpinteria. 

The event will be held on April 22, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building. The event will feature Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30, and Dr. Kent Gee, professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University. 

The event will see the base officials engaging with the local community, offer updates on Vandenberg’s mission, and address questions about sonic booms and their impacts on residents.

This will be the third event in a series of community engagements, with each event focusing on Vandenberg’s mission and topics of local interest to foster transparency and collaboration with the communities. 

The first event was held in Lompoc in February, followed by a second event in Santa Barbara in March. The final event will be held in Ojai on May 19, 2026.