Vandenberg Schedules 2 Launches in 1 Night as SpaceX Sends Up 24 Starlinks

8 articles · Updated · Noozhawk · May 18

Hours apart Tuesday night and early Wednesday, Vandenberg Space Force Base is set for a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch followed by an Air Force Minuteman III test.
24 Starlink satellites are slated to ride the Falcon 9 during a 7:11-9:01 p.m. PDT window, with the booster targeting a droneship landing in the Pacific about eight minutes after liftoff.
A 12:01-6:01 a.m. window is reserved for the Minuteman III launch from a northern Vandenberg silo, sending a mock warhead toward a target in the central Pacific.
Glory Trip 256 was scheduled years ago and is not a response to current world events, according to military officials, but part of routine checks on the missile's readiness, accuracy and effectiveness.
Vandenberg conducts a few Minuteman tests each year as the Air Force maintains about 400 Minuteman missiles and works toward a next-generation ICBM.

As Vandenberg triples its launch rate, can its 1960s infrastructure and fragile ecosystem survive the demands of the future?

With rivals fielding multi-warhead ICBMs, is America's reliance on its aging Minuteman III fleet dangerously outdated?

As thousands more satellites launch, is the race for space internet making a future conflict in orbit almost inevitable?