SpaceX completed the 700th Falcon 9 launch with the Starlink 15-18 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket lifted off at 9:04 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on October 30, 2026, carrying 27 Starlink satellites.
The launch occurred at 04:04 UTC on October 31. It departed Space Launch Complex 4 East on a southeasterly trajectory, according to Spaceflight Now’s mission coverage.
The mission used first-stage booster B1093 for its 18th flight. Its previous assignments included Transporter-16, two missions for the Space Development Agency, and 14 Starlink launches. After separating from the upper stage, the booster returned to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You.
The flight combined another deployment for SpaceX’s broadband constellation with recovery of a booster that had already supported commercial rideshare, government, and Starlink missions.
How Booster Recovery Fits the Launch
Falcon 9 uses two stages. The first stage supplies the initial acceleration through the lower atmosphere. After separation, the upper stage continues the ascent with the satellites, and the first stage follows a separate return trajectory.
During recovery, the booster uses controlled engine burns to reduce speed and guide its descent toward the landing location. An offshore drone ship provides a landing platform downrange from the launch site.
SpaceX’s development of booster reuse progressed from low-altitude landing experiments to the first successful Falcon 9 first-stage landing in December 2015. The company flew a previously used Falcon 9 booster again in March 2017.
Starlink 15-18 added another flight to that operating history. B1093 completed its 18th mission and returned to the offshore recovery platform after helping deliver the satellite batch to orbit.
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