Note · 01
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday evening. Here is what it carried, what those satellites do, and what is confirmed so far.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg at 5:28 p.m. Pacific on Monday, October 12, 2026. That is 7:28 p.m. Central. SpaceX calls the mission Starlink 15-25.[1]
It carried 27 Starlink satellites. Spaceflight Now identifies them as the V2 Mini Optimized model. The rocket flew south along the California coast, aiming for an orbit tilted 70 degrees to the equator.[1] [2]
The first stage was booster B1088, on its 20th flight. Its earlier flights were NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, USSF-366 and 14 Starlink missions. It landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, in the Pacific, about eight and a half minutes after liftoff.[1] [2]
SpaceX announced the release of all 27 satellites at 8:30 p.m. Central, about an hour and two minutes after liftoff.[9] The planned release height was roughly 266 kilometers (about 165 miles).[1]
Starlink is SpaceX's satellite internet service. A dish on the ground talks to the satellites passing overhead. The satellites hand the traffic to ground stations, or to each other by laser. SpaceX says each satellite carries three laser links.[3] [4]
The difference from older satellite internet is height. Most satellite internet has come from single satellites parked 35,786 kilometers up (about 22,200 miles). SpaceX's technology page puts Starlink at about 550 kilometers (about 340 miles).[3] Reuters reported in January 2026 that SpaceX plans to move those satellites down to about 480 kilometers (about 300 miles) during the year.[10] Either way the signal has a much shorter trip, so the delay is lower. SpaceX's figures are about 25 milliseconds against 600 or more.[3]
How many are up there? Astronomer Jonathan McDowell keeps an independent count. As of October 11, 2026 he lists 12,988 Starlink satellites launched and 11,131 still in orbit.[8] SpaceX's own technology page says only that there are over 6,750, far below McDowell's count.[3]
| Claim | Status | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Liftoff at 5:28 p.m. Pacific | Confirmed | SpaceX's mission page and Spaceflight Now. I also watched it on SpaceX's live stream. |
| 27 satellites on board | Confirmed | SpaceX's mission page and Spaceflight Now. |
| Booster B1088, 20th flight | Confirmed | Spaceflight Now names the booster. SpaceX's mission page gives the same flight count and flight history. |
| The booster landed on the drone ship | Confirmed | SpaceX's mission page and Spaceflight Now. |
| The 27 satellites were released | Confirmed by SpaceX | SpaceX's post on X at 8:30 p.m. Central. SpaceX is the only source. |
| The exact orbit they reached | Not checked | 266 kilometers and 70 degrees were the plan. I did not check tracking data. |
| Any of these 27 carry the phone antenna | Not known | No source I found says either way. |
| What “Optimized” changes | Not checked | I did not find SpaceX's own description of this model. The 2023 facts above describe the V2 Mini line, not this model. The laser, thruster and phone facts describe Starlink satellites in general. |
| How long each satellite lasts in service | Not checked | About five years is often repeated. I did not find that number in a primary source. |
About the video. I watched this launch on SpaceX's live stream. That video belongs to SpaceX, so none of it is on this page. SpaceX's mission page carries the broadcast.[2]