SpaceX launch today coverage from Vandenberg Space Force Base covers a packed week — two Falcon 9 Starlink flights and a Northrop Grumman defense mission all share the calendar between Monday and Thursday. As of Tuesday, April 7, the first SpaceX launch already went up after a Sunday scrub pushed it to Monday, and one more Falcon 9 is still on for Thursday night.

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SpaceX Launch Schedule closer look
Source: IdeaStream

Sunday Scrub Pushed The First Mission To Monday

SpaceX had Easter Sunday locked in for its Starlink 17-35 Falcon 9 launch, but upper-level wind shears ended that plan with under a minute left on the countdown. A crew member called a hold just before 8 p.m., and the team stood down. The Vandenberg launch got a new window for Monday, April 6, opening at 4:03 p.m. PT.

A SpaceX crew member stated:

“We are scrubbed today due to upper-level wind shears.”

The Monday SpaceX launch today carried 25 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster on this flight was brand new — its first ever mission — and it landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean after stage separation.

Tuesday Belongs To Northrop Grumman

Today’s Vandenberg launch does not involve SpaceX at all. Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur IV rocket takes the pad this morning for the STP-S29A mission, a flight the Pentagon’s Space Test Program runs to get technology demonstrations into orbit. The rocket carries up to 200 kg of cubesats, with STPSat-7 as the main payload — an ESPA class satellite hosting Department of Defense research experiments, including the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s LARADO instrument, which uses lasers to detect and track lethal non-trackable orbital debris. The window runs from 4:30 to 8:45 a.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 8.

Thursday Night Closes The Week With Another Falcon 9

The SpaceX Falcon 9 returns Thursday for the Starlink 17-21 mission, lifting off from SLC-4E with a window opening at 7:39 p.m. PDT. This SpaceX launch today — or rather, Thursday’s version of it — sends another 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low-Earth orbit, and booster B1063 flies for a 32nd time before landing again on Of Course I Still Love You. The SpaceX Starlink mission April 2026 cadence keeps getting busier: multiple Falcon 9 flights per week from Vandenberg Space Force Base reflect just how aggressive the constellation buildout has become right now.

Starlink describes itself as the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using low-Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet, with thousands of satellites orbiting at roughly 550 km altitude. Anyone across Southern California or Arizona watching the SpaceX Starlink mission April 2026 schedule should note that Thursday night’s window could produce a visible streak across the sky. Keep checking the SpaceX launch today updates for any timing changes — delays happen, and the window can shift close to liftoff.