SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into a polar, low Earth orbit on Wednesday.
The Starlink 17-12 mission is the 83rd mission supporting SpaceX’s megaconstellation so far in 2025. The company aims to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 8:43 a.m. PDT (11:43 a.m. EDT / 1543 UTC).
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
SpaceX will use the Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1088, to launch the mission, which will be its 10th flight. Its previous flights included NASA’s SPHEREx rideshare, the Transporter-12 rideshare and two missions for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after taking off from the California coast, SpaceX plans to land B1088 on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If successful, this will be the 152nd landing on this vessel and the 506th booster landing to date.
So far in 2025, SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. As it continues development of its Starship rocket, SpaceX plans to start deploying the significantly larger Starlink Version 3 satellites beginning in 2026.
