SpaceX sets Vandenberg launch turnaround record by relaunching Falcon 9 within 66 hours

On June 22, 2026, SpaceX launched a new Falcon 9 rocket and set a new launch turnaround record for the Vandenberg launch pad.

Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev revealed that the SpaceX Falcon team has set a new record from Vandenberg, reusing the Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) pad at 55 hours, 48 minutes, and 21 seconds.

The previous launch was conducted on June 19 at 1:50 a.m. PT from the same launch pad for the NROL-179 mission, which was a success.

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E)

Starlink mission

The latest Falcon 9 rocket was carrying 24 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit and successfully lifted off with its nine Merlin engines firing at full power.

Around 3 minutes into the mission, the mission control called for a stage separation, and the first stage made its reentry to Earth. After descending to the final phase, it fired the last burn to slow down the rocket and performed a landing on an ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

An interesting thing to know is that this was the 33rd flight for the first stage booster, which previously supported important missions including the following: Sentinel-6, Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, NROL-113, NROL-167, NROL-149, NAOS, and 23 Starlink missions.

Before the launch, SpaceX published a notification for the residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties to hear one or more.

With the latest batch of Starlink satellites, SpaceX continues to expand connectivity in remote zones. Besides the expansion, Starlink remains the most launched missions to date, and Falcon 9 as a carrier has proven its reusability over and over.

The latest mission and the fast turnaround record from the Vandenberg launch pad show that SpaceX continues to push its rocket expertise on a show.