SpaceX Ignites the Sky: How to Watch Tonight’s Vandenberg Rocket Launch Live

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — SpaceX lit up the West Coast sky late Saturday night, lofting 24 Starlink internet satellites from Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 roared off the pad at 9:31 p.m. PDT July 26 (04:31 UTC July 27), marking the company’s second orbital launch in less than 24 hours and its 89th mission of 2025. Key mission facts • Rocket/booster: Falcon 9 first stage B1075, now on its 12th flight, previously flew NASA’s SWOT and eleven Starlink batches. • Payload: 24 second-generation “V2 Mini” Starlink satellites bound for a 53-degree polar orbit. • Landing: About 8½ minutes after liftoff, B1075 nailed a pinpoint touchdown on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” stationed ~640 km downrange in the Pacific Ocean. • Constellation status: Tonight’s deployment pushes the total number of Starlink spacecraft launched to roughly 6,540, with more than 5,300 believed operational. Why this launch matters 1. Rapid-fire cadence: The Vandenberg flight came just 3 hours after SpaceX wrapped up a 28-satellite Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral, underscoring the company’s goal of achieving near-daily launch capability worldwide. 2. Polar coverage: Polar-orbiting Starlinks boost service to high-latitude users in Alaska, Canada, and northern Europe, a key differentiator from rival constellations. 3. Reusability milestone: B1075’s 12th landing brings the fleet-wide tally of booster recoveries to 290, slashing costs and keeping launch prices low for commercial and government customers. Sky-watching tips • Southern California: Spectators from San Diego to Santa Barbara reported a brilliant twilight plume as the rocket arced south-southwest along the coast. For future dusk or dawn departures, look 10–15° above the western horizon 2 minutes after liftoff. • Satellite train: The newly launched Starlinks will drift into operational planes over the next week; use apps like Heavens-Above to spot them glittering in “string of pearls” formations shortly after sunset. How to watch the next one SpaceX lists upcoming Vandenberg opportunities on its Launches page, and live webcasts typically begin 15 minutes before T-0. Viewers can tune in on X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, or the company’s website for real-time commentary, telemetry, and spectacular onboard footage. What’s next If schedules hold, another Falcon 9 from Vandenberg could fly as soon as early August carrying NASA’s TRACERS space-weather satellites, followed by a rideshare mission later in the month. With the Starlink network expanding rapidly and Starship test flights on the horizon, SpaceX shows no sign of slowing down its record-setting launch tempo along California’s Central Coast.