SpaceX Delays Vandenberg Rocket Launch

May 15, 2026 — SpaceX has delayed the launch of its next batch of Starlink broadband satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California until Saturday, May 23.

The mission will use SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket to carry 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch had originally been scheduled for Friday morning with a launch window opening at 7 a.m. Pacific Time.

The deployment marks another expansion of SpaceX’s rapidly growing satellite broadband network, which has become a major part of the company’s commercial operations and a key player in global broadband connectivity efforts..

Starlink operates through thousands of satellites orbiting closer to Earth than traditional communications satellites, allowing the network to provide lower-latency internet service to customers in rural and underserved areas. The constellation has grown to more than 10,000 satellites worldwide, serving millions of residential, commercial and government users.

According to SpaceX, Falcon 9 is a “reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.” Falcon 9 is also considered the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket, helping lower launch costs and increase launch frequency through reusable booster landings.

Starlink satellites use optical inter-satellite links that transmit data through infrared laser beams, allowing signals to travel directly between satellites instead of relying solely on ground stations, according to SpaceX technical materials and industry reporting on the system’s laser-link architecture.