Watch Live: SpaceX’s 600th Falcon 9 Launches Starlink Satellites from California
🚀 SpaceX Set to Launch Its 600th Falcon 9 Rocket on Starlink Mission from Vandenberg
Vandenberg Space Force Base, California — February 14, 2026 — SpaceX is preparing to mark a major milestone in the company’s launch history with the 600th flight of its Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled to lift off Saturday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, designated Starlink 17-13, will carry a fresh batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, continuing the rapid expansion of the company’s global internet constellation.
Liftoff is targeted for the early evening local time at Vandenberg, with the countdown continuing amid a busy launch weekend for SpaceX. The mission comes on the heels of successful human spaceflight operations — including the recent Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station — underscoring SpaceX’s broad operational tempo.
📍 The Mission: Starlink 17-13
The 600th Falcon 9 launch will deploy 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit — part of SpaceX’s ongoing effort to build out its next-generation broadband network. This constellation is designed to provide high-speed internet access across the globe, including underserved regions, and is a cornerstone of the company’s commercial revenue.
Starlink missions from Vandenberg are typically inclined to facilitate coverage at higher latitudes and polar regions, complementing launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This launch represents the 180th Falcon 9 mission from the West Coast pad (SLC-4E), highlighting the prolific use of multiple launch sites worldwide.
📈 A Milestone in Falcon 9’s Legacy
Since its debut in 2010, the Falcon 9 has become one of the most reliable and frequently used orbital launch vehicles in history. A reusable, two-stage rocket manufactured by SpaceX, it was the first commercial rocket to carry astronauts to orbit and has supported everything from science missions to national defense launches.
With this flight, the Falcon 9 will surpass a major quantitative milestone: 600 individual missions flown, a testament to SpaceX’s operational cadence and reusability strategy. The rocket’s first stage booster — a workhorse designed to return, land, and fly again — is central to SpaceX’s cost-efficient launch model.
Analysts note that hits like this are not just ceremonial; they reflect real shifts in the space industry, with commercial launch rates far outpacing most national space programs from past decades. In the 2025–26 period, for example, SpaceX completed over 500 missions in global space launch activity, far more than any other provider.
🛰️ How Reuse Has Changed the Game
One of the Falcon 9’s signature innovations is reusing first-stage boosters, which return to Earth and land upright either on autonomous drone ships at sea or designated landing zones on land. Over the years, multiple boosters have flown more than 10 times, dramatically reducing turnaround costs.
For the Starlink 17-13 mission, SpaceX is targeting another successful booster landing on one of its Pacific-based droneships. The precision and rapid reuse have become routine — a major factor in why the company can maintain such a high launch cadence.
🌍 A Busy Week in Global Space Operations
SpaceX is only one part of what has become an increasingly active period for spaceflight. Earlier in the week, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket encountered a solid rocket booster issue during its USSF-87 mission, although the launch continued nominally.
Meanwhile, NASA and SpaceX also recently celebrated the successful Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station — a crewed flight that underscored the partnership between private launch providers and government space agencies.
Spaceflight schedules worldwide remain crowded, with multiple orbital launches from a range of providers planned for the coming days. This reflects both commercial demand and the growing role of reusable launch systems in opening access to space.
🌌 The Road Ahead
Looking beyond the 600th Falcon 9 mission, SpaceX is pushing forward with its next-generation launch vehicle, Starship, intended for deep-space missions and crewed flights to the Moon and Mars. Although Starship has faced delays and developmental hurdles, its eventual operational status could reshape the industry once again.
For now, the Falcon 9 continues to serve as SpaceX’s backbone — uniting commercial demand, scientific research launches, and strategic national missions on a single platform. Its 600th flight is both a numeric milestone and a symbol of how far commercial spaceflight has evolved over a decade and a half.
📡 Watch & Follow
SpaceX typically streams its launches live on the company’s webcast channels, with commentary on prelaunch activities, countdown milestones, and post-launch deployment updates. For this mission, the webcast begins minutes before the scheduled T-0, offering real-time coverage of liftoff and early mission events.
As the Falcon 9 ascends from California, tens of thousands of miles away on the International Space Station, operations continue — a vivid reminder that spaceflight is now a nearly daily occurrence on Earth’s doorstep.
