A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) in this file photo. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX’s West Coast surge in Starlink launches continues Saturday with another batch of Starlink satellites set to go into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Liftoff of the Starlink 17-38 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is scheduled for 9:23 a.m. PDT (12:23 p.m. EDT / 1623 UTC). It will be SpaceX’s 50th launch from the West Coast this year as it ramps up launches there while the flight rate from the East Coast has fallen as the company focuses on ramping up Starship preparations.
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage starting about 30 minutes prior to launch.
SpaceX has assigned first stage booster B1093 to this mission. It joined the Falcon 9 fleet in April 2025 and has flown 16 missions: SDA-T1TL-B and SDA-T1TL-C for the Space Development Agency, the Transporter-16 rideshare mission and 12 previous Starlink deliveries.
