Upcoming launchGOLive

Starlink 15-⁠18

Falcon 9Vandenberg, California

T minus 7 days 2 hours 50 minutes
Watch live

For notifications, your browser asks first. Privacy

Webcast starts Wed 28 Oct ·

Mission controlLaunches in your calendar

Webcast

Not live yet

SpaceX

Plays from X, loaded only when you press play. Privacy

SpaceX

Mission

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

Falcon 9 will launch Starlink 15-⁠18 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-⁠4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, about 574 km downrange.

Liftoff
Tue 21:31 PDT at the pad
Window
– 4 h
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5SpaceX
Destination
Low Earth Orbit
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg, California68th launch from this pad in 20263 days after the last
Latest update
Added launch.

1h1min

Mission duration

18th

Flight of B1093

574km

Downrange landing, OCISLY

124th

SpaceX launch of 2026

Countdown

All times approximate, in your time zone (CEST)Timeline: The Space Devs

  1. T minus 38 minutesGO for Prop Load
  2. T minus 35 minutesProp Load
  3. T minus 35 minutesStage 1 LOX Load
  4. T minus 16 minutesStage 2 LOX Load
  5. T minus 7 minutesEngine Chill
  6. T minus 1 minuteTank Press
  7. T minus 1 minuteStartup
  8. T minus 45 secondsGO for Launch
  9. T minus 3 secondsIgnition

Flight

From liftoff to orbit

  1. SLC-4E
  2. OCISLY574 km downrange
  3. LiftoffT+00:00:00
  4. Max QT+00:01:08
  5. Stage separationT+00:02:29
  6. FairingT+00:02:58
  7. LandingT+00:08:20
  8. SECOT+00:08:39
  9. Starlink deployT+01:01:59
  1. SLC-4E
  2. OCISLY574 km downrange
  3. LiftoffT+00:00:00
  4. Stage separationT+00:02:29
  5. LandingT+00:08:20
  6. Starlink deployT+01:01:59
  1. SLC-4E
  2. OCISLY574 km downrange
  3. LiftoffT+00:00:00
  4. Max QT+00:01:08
  5. Stage separationT+00:02:29
  6. FairingT+00:02:58
  7. LandingT+00:08:20
  8. Starlink deployT+01:01:59
Schematic, not to scale. Tap a moment for more.Point at a moment for more.
Planschematic

1 h 1 min from liftoffin your time zone (CEST)

  1. T plus 0 secondsLiftoff
  2. T plus 1 minute 8 secondsMax Q
  3. T plus 2 minutes 26 secondsMECO
  4. T plus 2 minutes 29 secondsStage 2 Separation
  5. T plus 2 minutes 36 secondsSES-⁠1, 2nd stage
  6. T plus 2 minutes 58 secondsFairing Separation, 2nd stage
  7. T plus 6 minutes 1 secondEntry Burn Startup, 1st stage
  8. T plus 6 minutes 24 secondsEntry Burn Shutdown, 1st stage
  9. T plus 7 minutes 58 secondsStage 1 Landing Burn
  10. T plus 8 minutes 20 secondsStage 1 Landing
  11. T plus 8 minutes 39 secondsSECO-⁠1, 2nd stage
  12. T plus 53 minutes 7 secondsSES-⁠2, 2nd stage
  13. T plus 53 minutes 8 secondsSECO-⁠2, 2nd stage
  14. T plus 1 hour 1 minuteStarlink Deployment, Payload

Falcon 9 Block 5

SpaceXReusable640 launches since May 2018, 639 successful

Drag or use the arrow keys to turn it. Home resets the view.

  • BoosterB1093most recently launched Starlink 15-⁠27
About Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

70m

Height

3.7m

Diameter

549t

Mass at liftoff

7.6MN

Thrust at liftoff

23t

Payload to low Earth orbit

8.3t

Payload to geostationary transfer orbit

Orbit estimated from CelesTrak’s elementsMeasured trackSpaceX’s predicted path

In orbit now

The crewed stations and Hubble, once around the Earth every 92 to 94 minutes

SpacecraftAltitudeSpeed
ISSDocked: Soyuz MS-⁠29, Crew-⁠13In sunlight428km27,567km/h
TiangongDocked: Shenzhou-⁠23In sunlight385km27,654km/h
HubbleIn Earth’s shadow467km27,500km/h

Estimated for from CelesTrak’s orbital elements, up to 32 h old.

Your browser asks first. Your location stays on this device. Privacy

Up next

All launches