SpaceX Launches Starlink 15-27, B1093 Notches 17th Flight

SpaceX launched 27 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites aboard a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6:47 p.m. PDT on Sept 19, 2026 (01:47 UTC Sept 20) — the 81st Starlink mission of 2026 and SpaceX's 109th Falcon-family launch of the year (tallies vary slightly by source). The first stage, B1093, flew for a 17th time, having previously launched two Space Development Agency missions and 13 Starlink batches. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1093 landed on the 'Of Course I Still Love You' droneship in the Pacific — its 225th landing on that vessel and roughly the 663rd Falcon booster landing overall (sequential count continued from the Sept 16 USSF-259 recovery; some trackers report the figure as 662nd). Satellite deployment occurred a little over an hour after liftoff, and the rocket's climb along the California coastline was visible to observers across the region.