Update 9:08 pm Est (0208 UTC): SpaceX put the booster on a droneship.
SpaceX launched the first of two planned Starlink flights over the weekend. The Starlink 15–1 mission was first launched on Saturday, which was accompanied by 22 Starlink V2 mini satellites.
The Space Launch at Wandenberg Space Force Base took place from the Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC -4E) at 5:38 pm at PST (8:38 pm EST, 0138 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ksgwk7lk4
SpaceX used Falcon 9 First Stage Booster with tail number B1082 on this mission, which was launched for the 11th time. It first launched USSF-62, ONEWEB launch 20 and Starlink eight batch of satellites.
Eight minutes after the liftoff, the B1082 landed on the SpaceX droneship, ‘I still love you,’ the 121th booster marking the landing and the 412th booster landing till date.
With the launch of Starlink 15–1 missions, SpaceX sent more than 8,000 starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, according to data from astronomer and expert orbital tracker, Jonathan McDowell. The mission brought the company to 376 Starlink satellites launched alone in 2025.
McDowell’s database states that until 21 February, there were 7,078 Starlink satellites in the class.
The Udaan sent its 22 Starlink satellites for an inclination of 70 degrees. For the first time SpaceX launched a batch of operational starlink satellites for this inclination, with the launch of Starlink 2–1 mission on 13 September 2021.
A total of eight missions were launched as part of Starlink Group 2 with Starlink 2–10 on 31 May 2023.
All missions initiated for separate, national reconnaissance offices (NRA) have also gone for a tilt of 70 degrees to support their proliferation architecture. These satellites are considered starryds, which are the official version of the Starlink developed by SpaceX and Northrop Gramman.
The NROL-126 mission, which was launched on November 30, 2024, was different, as it also included 20 starlink satellites.
SpaceX has not said whether there can be any starshald satellite on this flight or if they are going to recreate satellites that are uninterrupted. As of 21 February, the McDowel database suggests that 12 of the 408 Starlink V1.5 satellites launched as part of Group 2 are no longer in orbit.
