The mission represents a rare public announcement of the launch of SpaceX’s Starshield satellites, a government variant of Starlink satellites. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 9:24:30 p.m. PDT
The comments came during a fireside chat featuring former NASA administrators, Charlie Bolden and Jim Bridenstine, at the conclusion of the American Astronautical Society’s 2025 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.