SpaceX has announced a revised launch schedule for its Falcon 9 rocket, postponing the Starlink 17-18 mission originally set for Saturday, March 7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The company is now targeting Sunday morning for liftoff, as confirmed in an update on March 7 at 9:37 a.m. EST (1437 UTC).
This mission will add 25 new broadband internet satellites to SpaceX’s rapidly expanding Starlink megaconstellation, which already comprises over 9,900 spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
The launch window from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled to open at 3:58 a.m. PDT (6:58 a.m. EDT / 1058 UTC). Following liftoff, the Falcon 9 will embark on a southerly trajectory.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, designated B1097, will undertake its seventh flight for this mission. Roughly eight minutes after launch, booster B1097 is slated to perform a precision landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This would mark the 182nd successful recovery for this particular vessel and SpaceX’s 582nd booster landing overall.
