SpaceX Launch Complex-4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California
The SpaceX Twilight rideshare mission was the company's first dedicated launch to a dusk-dawn sun-synchronous orbit (also called dawn-dusk SSO), a special type of polar orbit that follows the Earth's terminator—the boundary between day and night. This orbit keeps satellites in near-constant sunlight (perpetual "twilight" conditions), which is ideal for power generation, consistent lighting for Earth observation, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), climate monitoring, and other applications that benefit from avoiding eclipse periods.
The mission launched successfully on January 11, 2026, at 5:44 a.m. PT (13:44 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, using a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket (booster B1097 on its 5th flight). The first stage landed back at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg about 8.5 minutes after liftoff—marking another routine reuse for SpaceX.
Here are some stunning views from the launch shared by SpaceX:
(These show the Falcon 9 on the pad and during ascent—classic pre-dawn California vibes!)
The mission carried approximately 40 small payloads (including CubeSats and microsats), making it a true rideshare flight. Deployments occurred over a ~90-minute window starting about an hour after launch, and all were completed successfully.
Key Highlights & Notable Payloads
- NASA's Pandora — The star of the show: a ~325 kg smallsat with a 0.45-meter telescope designed to study exoplanet atmospheres. It observes at least 20 known exoplanets during transits, separating planetary signals from host star variability using visible-light photometry and near-infrared spectroscopy. It's the first mission in NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program.
- Kepler Communications — Deployed the first tranche of their next-gen AETHER optical relay satellites (around 10 units), advancing real-time space-to-space laser comms.
- Other commercial payloads — Included satellites from Spire Global (Lemur IoT/weather constellation), Capella Space (Acadia SAR imaging), HawkEye 360, Umbra, Tomorrow.io, and more. Exolaunch (a German launch integrator) handled deployment of 22 customer satellites from multiple countries, continuing their perfect track record on SpaceX rideshares.
This wasn't part of the usual Transporter (standard SSO) or Bandwagon (mid-inclination) series—Twilight represents a new specialized class in SpaceX's rideshare program, responding to growing demand for this unique orbit. It offers affordable access (as low as ~$300k for ESPA-class payloads up to 50 kg) to what used to require expensive dedicated launches.
The mission kicked off SpaceX's 2026 rideshare activity perfectly, following their record-breaking 2025 cadence. All payloads were deployed on schedule, and it's another win for democratizing space access!
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Falcon 9 will launch nine new National Security Space Launch missions
SpaceX announced a $739 million contract to launch nine Falcon 9 missions for the U.S. Space Force starting late 2026, deploying 52 satellites for missile warning and tracking, including 36 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer vehicles from L3Harris and Lockheed Martin, plus eight F2 vehicles from Millennium Space Systems and one NRO mission set.
The launches, valued at an average $82 million each, underscore Falcon 9's reliability for national security, with SDA-2 missions in Q4 FY26, SDA-3 in Q3 FY27, and NTO-5 spanning Q1 FY27 to Q2 FY28, enhancing U.S. missile defense against hypersonic threats.
U.S. Space Force Col. Matt Flahive highlighted the awards' focus on "time efficiency and cost consciousness," delivering capabilities to warfighters faster while saving taxpayer funds, as evidenced by the contract's competitive Phase 3 Lane 1 structure.
Check on Twitter
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Watch Falcon 9 launch the @ASI_Spazio COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission to orbit and reduces costs by up to 30% per mission
SpaceX's post announces the successful landing of Falcon 9 booster B1081 at Landing Zone 4 in Vandenberg Space Force Base, completing its 21st flight during the CSG-3 mission—Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed Generation 2 Earth observation satellite deployment.
SpaceX's post captures the nighttime liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, marking the company's first mission of 2026.
The payload is the third COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite for Italy's ASI, part of a dual-use radar constellation enabling all-weather, high-resolution Earth imaging for disaster response and security.
This launch extends SpaceX's Falcon 9 success rate to near 99.7%, with over 590 flights completed by late 2025, highlighting reusable rocket efficiency that reduces costs by up to 30% per mission.
This milestone underscores Falcon 9's reliability, with over 300 successful landings to date, cutting launch costs by reusing boosters up to 25 times and accelerating access to sun-synchronous orbits for global monitoring.
This milestone underscores Falcon 9's reliability, with over 300 successful landings to date, cutting launch costs by reusing boosters up to 25 times and accelerating access to sun-synchronous orbits for global monitoring.
The 2,200 kg spacecraft, built by Leonardo, operates in X-band SAR to provide all-weather, day-night monitoring for disaster response, environmental tracking, and defense, completing the trio needed for near-continuous global coverage when paired with FM1 and FM2.
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Falcon 9 lifts off from Florida for the 100th time in 2025
This mission highlights SpaceX's 2025 launch dominance, with 162 total Falcon 9 flights that year—surpassing all competitors combined—and Florida sites hosting over 100, a milestone first hit on November 20.
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Falcon 9 launches NROL-77 from Florida
Falcon 9 launches NROL-77 from Florida, completing our 11th National Security Space Launch this year and delivering assured access to space.
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Falcon 9 launches 29 Starlink satellites from Florida
SpaceX's post announces a successful Falcon 9 launch from Kennedy Space Center on December 8, 2025, deploying 29 Starlink satellites to expand low-Earth orbit internet coverage, accompanied by two dramatic photos of the nighttime liftoff amid flames and twilight clouds.
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Falcon fleet leader touches down for its 29th launch and landing
The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1067 set a new record for reusability by completing its 29th launch and landing on July 2, 2025, during the Starlink 10-25 mission. Launched at 2:28 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 in Florida, the booster successfully delivered 27 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean just over eight minutes after liftoff. This mission marked the 500th Falcon 9 launch since the rocket’s debut in 2010 and was the 83rd Falcon 9 mission of 2025. The booster, which first flew in 2021, has supported notable missions, including two human spaceflights.
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Falcon 9 launches 28 Starlink satellites from California
On December 4, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, deploying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. This mission, designated Starlink Group 11-25, marked the 156th Falcon 9 launch of 2025, setting a new annual record for the company and underscoring its rapid deployment of the world's largest satellite internet constellation.
Falcon 9 launches 28 Starlink satellites from Florida
On August 4, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 3:57 a.m. EDT (0757 UTC). The mission, dubbed Starlink 10-30, marked the 450th flight of a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster, with the first-stage booster (B-1080) completing its 21st mission. The booster landed on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after liftoff. The satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit approximately 64 minutes after launch, adding to SpaceX’s megaconstellation, which now exceeds 8,000 active satellites. The 45th Weather Squadron forecasted an 85% chance of favorable weather for the launch.
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Falcon 9 delivers 27 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida
On May 27, 2025, SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully launched 27 Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch occurred at 6:30 PM EDT, with the first stage booster, on its 18th flight, landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This mission adds to Starlink’s constellation, now over 7,000 satellites, aimed at providing global high-speed internet. Posts on X celebrated the flawless launch, highlighting SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology and Starlink’s growing network.
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Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from California
On July 18, 2025, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:52 p.m. PDT (11:52 p.m. EDT, 0352 UTC). The mission, Starlink 17-3, used booster B1082 for its 14th flight, which landed successfully on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" eight minutes after liftoff, marking SpaceX’s 477th booster landing. The satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit about an hour later, contributing to SpaceX’s constellation of over 7,900 satellites aimed at improving global internet connectivity, particularly in polar regions like Alaska. This was SpaceX’s 88th Falcon 9 launch of 2025.
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Falcon 9 delivers 23 @Starlink satellites to the constellation from Florida
On June 10, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct-to-Cell capabilities, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch, dubbed the Starlink 12-24 mission, occurred at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 UTC). The Falcon 9's first stage, booster B1083 on its 12th flight, landed on the drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after liftoff. The upper stage deployed the satellites into low Earth orbit approximately 65 minutes later. This mission added to SpaceX's Starlink mega constellation, which now exceeds 7,600 active satellites, aiming to provide global high-speed internet.
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Falcon 9 and Dragon at sunrise ahead of tomorrow’s launch of @Axiom_Space ’s Ax-4 mission
The image of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft at sunrise is a stunning prelude to the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) launch, scheduled for no earlier than June 11, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. EDT (12:00 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission, organized by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX and NASA, will send four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a roughly two-week stay, conducting over 60 scientific experiments. The crew includes commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut with a record-breaking 675 days in space, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. This marks the first ISS visit for astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft C213, named with a nod to a plush swan zero-g indicator called "Joy." Weather conditions are 85% favorable, though high winds in the ascent corridor are being monitored. A liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 booster (B1094) was identified post-static fire test but has been repaired. You can watch the launch live via SpaceX or Axiom Space webcasts, with coverage starting about two hours before liftoff.
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Falcon 9 will launch @Axiom_Space
The SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station no earlier than Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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@SpaceX team on 500 Falcon flights!
Congrats to the @SpaceX team on hitting 500 Falcon flights!. A huge milestone for reusable rockets, with the Starlink 11-22 mission marking the 500th orbital launch on June 4, 2025, exactly 15 years after the first Falcon 9 launch.
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