SpaceX is poised to reach its 100th mission of the year tonight with a Falcon 9 launch carrying Starlink satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.
What Happened
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg during a four-hour window that opens at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. local time; 0200 GMT on Aug. 19). The mission, designated Starlink Group 17-50, will carry 24 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit, with deployment planned for 61.5 minutes after liftoff. The rocket's first stage will land on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific Ocean about 8.5 minutes after launch. This booster, designated B1097, will be flying its 12th mission and previously supported the milestone 600th orbital landing during a Starlink launch this past April.
Why It Matters
Tonight's flight marks SpaceX's third consecutive year reaching the 100-mission threshold. The company conducted 138 missions in 2024 and 170 in 2025, with Falcon 9 handling the vast majority of those flights. The Starlink megaconstellation currently consists of nearly 11,000 operational satellites, and SpaceX has also logged two Starship test flights and one Falcon Heavy launch this year among its non-Falcon 9 missions.
The Bottom Line
The launch will be the 97th Falcon 9 flight of 2026 and the 100th mission overall for the year. Live coverage is scheduled to begin about 10 minutes before liftoff via SpaceX's website.