Overview
- A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the early hours of Saturday, Aug. 22, carrying 27 Starlink internet satellites and completing what outlets called SpaceX’s 100th orbital mission of 2026.
- The first stage for the Vandenberg flight was booster B1100, which returned to the Pacific droneship Of Course I Still Love You about 8.5 minutes after liftoff and landed as planned.
- A day earlier SpaceX launched 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral and recovered booster B1078 on the Atlantic droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, underscoring the company’s rapid launch-recovery cycle.
- Local notices and news outlets warned the southeast-tracking Vandenberg launch could be visible in Arizona and may produce sonic booms depending on weather, while the FAA posted a next-day backup opportunity in its operations advisory.
- The flights expand a Starlink network that trackers and company figures put at roughly 11,000 satellites and sharpen policy and infrastructure questions as federal plans push U.S. launch capacity higher toward targets for the decade.