SpaceX Sets Weekend Vandenberg Launch to Add 28 Starlink Satellites

Overview

• Liftoff is targeted for Sunday, Dec. 7, with a four-hour window opening at 8:13 a.m. PT from Vandenberg’s SLC-4E, according to an FAA operations plan advisory.
• The Falcon 9 will follow a southeast trajectory that could make the flight visible from Arizona, though early sunlight may diminish views.
• The mission will deploy 28 Starlink spacecraft into low Earth orbit to expand SpaceX’s broadband constellation.
• Spaceflight Now reports Falcon 9 booster B1097 is assigned for its fourth flight and will aim to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You.
• If the landing succeeds, it would be the drone ship’s 167th touchdown and SpaceX’s 544th booster recovery, as the company executes the third of at least four early-December Starlink launches from Vandenberg.