SpaceX F9 : Starlink group 11-25 : VSFB SLC-4E : 4 December 2025 (20:42 UTC)

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Thread for the Starlink Group 11-25 launch.

Launch 4 December 2025, at 20:42:20 UTC (12:42 pm PST), from Vandenberg SLC-4E, on booster 1097-4. The first stage successfully landed aboard Of Course I Still Love You.

Payload 28 Starlink V2.0 Mini satellites, to a 53.16 degrees inclination orbit on a southeastern trajectory.  Initial orbit 254 x 268 km.

Please use the Starlink Discussion Thread for all general discussion on Starlink.

Check the Starlink Index Thread for links to more Starlink information.


L2 SpaceX: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=60.0


From USCG - it’s currently not listed on the SpaceX launches page so its status is unclear, but a notice has indeed been issued:

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/broadcast-notice-to-mariners-message?guid=65775038

SAFETY / Pacific Ocean / SPACE OPERATIONS / CCGD11 BNM 9013-25 / Tue, 29 Jul 2025 18:18:43 -0400

1. SPACE LAUNCH OPERATIONS, WHICH MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO SURFACE VESSELS, WILL
BE CONDUCTED WITHIN PORTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING HAZARD AREAS FOR SPACE X
STARLINK G11-25:
A. FROM 32-50-00N/119-05-00W
TO 34-35-00N/120-40-00W
TO 34-40-00N/120-38-00W
TO 34-28-00N/120-18-00W
TO 32-59-00N/119-07-00W
TO 32-36-00N/118-51-00W
TO 32-36-00N/118-53-00W TO BEGINNING
B. FROM 30-46-00N/117-27-00W
TO 30-36-00N/117-07-00W
TO 30-28-00N/116-59-00W
TO 30-11-00N/116-54-00W
TO 30-06-00N/117-04-00W
TO 30-21-00N/117-22-00W TO BEGINNING
C. FROM 28-58-00N/116-22-00W
TO 29-12-00N/116-48-00W
TO 29-32-00N/117-06-00W
TO 29-46-00N/117-11-00W
TO 30-03-00N/117-10-00W
TO 30-11-00N/116-57-00W
TO 30-11-00N/116-36-00W
TO 30-05-00N/116-28-00W
TO 29-42-00N/116-06-00W
TO 29-18-00N/115-56-00W TO BEGINNING
2. HAZARD PERIODS FOR PRIMARY LAUNCH DAY AND BACKUP LAUNCH DAYS (ALL TIMES
ARE REPRESENTED AS ZULU TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED):A.
05/2000 AUG 25 TO 06/0023 AUG 25.
06/2000 AUG 25 TO 07/0023 AUG 25.
07/2000 AUG 25 TO 08/0023 AUG 25.
08/2000 AUG 25 TO 09/0023 AUG 25.
B.
05/2000 AUG 25 TO 06/0025 AUG 25.
06/2000 AUG 25 TO 07/0025 AUG 25.
07/2000 AUG 25 TO 08/0025 AUG 25.
08/2000 AUG 25 TO 09/0025 AUG 25.
C.
05/2000 AUG 25 TO 06/0042 AUG 25.
06/2000 AUG 25 TO 07/0042 AUG 25.
07/2000 AUG 25 TO 08/0042 AUG 25.
08/2000 AUG 25 TO 09/0042 AUG 25.
3. THE U.S. COAST GUARD IS PROVIDING THIS NOTICE TO ADVISE MARINERS OF THESE
HAZARDOUS AREAS IDENTIFIED BY U.S. SPACE FORCE AND/OR A COMMERCIAL SPACE
OPERATION, WHICH MAY IMPACT NAVIGATION INTERESTS. NAVIGATION HAZARDS FROM
ROCKET LAUNCH ACTIVITIES MAY INCLUDE FREE FALLING DEBRIS AND/OR DESCENDING
VEHICLES OR VEHICLE COMPONENTS UNDER VARIOUS MEANS OF CONTROL. MARINERS ARE
URGED TO AVOID WATERS WITHIN ROCKET FLIGHT TRAJECTORIES/HAZARD AREAS DURING
LAUNCH WINDOWS AS DETAILED ABOVE.
4. FOR MORE INFORMATION, MARINERS MAY CONTACT THE U.S. SPACE FORCE LAUNCH
INFORMATION HOTLINE AT 1-800-470-7232 OR BY VISITING
WWW.PATRICK.SPACEFORCE.MIL. FOR NAVIGATIONAL SAFETY, MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO
REFER TO THE GEOSPATIAL CHART AT WWW.NAVCEN.USCG.GOV/CHART FOR INFORMATION ON
SPACE LAUNCH AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS (SOLAR).
CANCEL AT////
BT

[randomname]

NGA rocket launching notice for this launch.

010924Z AUG 25
NAVAREA XII 477/25(18,21).
NORTH PACIFIC.
CALIFORNIA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING:
   A. 052000ZZ TO 060023Z AUG, ALTERNATE
      2000Z TO 0023Z DAILY 06 THRU 08 AUG
      IN AREA BOUND BY
      32-50.00N 119-05.00W, 34-35.00N 120-40.00W,
      34-40.00N 120-38.00W, 34-28.00N 120-18.00W,
      32-59.00N 119-07.00W, 32-36.00N 118-51.00W,
      32-36.00N 118-53.00W.
   B. 052000ZZ TO 060025Z AUG, ALTERNATE
      2000Z TO 0025Z DAILY 06 THRU 08 AUG
      IN AREA BOUND BY
      30-46.00N 117-27.00W, 30-36.00N 117-07.00W,
      30-28.00N 116-59.00W, 30-11.00N 116-54.00W,
      30-06.00N 117-04.00W, 30-21.00N 117-22.00W.
   C. 052000ZZ TO 060042Z AUG, ALTERNATE
      2000Z TO 0042Z DAILY 06 THRU 08 AUG
      IN AREA BOUND BY
      28-58.00N 116-22.00W, 29-12.00N 116-48.00W,
      29-32.00N 117-06.00W, 29-46.00N 117-11.00W,
      30-03.00N 117-10.00W, 30-11.00N 116-57.00W,
      30-11.00N 116-36.00W, 30-05.00N 116-28.00W,
      29-42.00N 116-06.00W, 29-18.00N 115-56.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 090142Z AUG 25.//

[Salo]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

[Galactic Penguin SST]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

Yup this launch is still missing - I have doubts it will launch as scheduled, but we'll just have to see since there's indeed a gap in SLC-4E's schedule that this launch would fit.

[AmigaClone]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

Yup this launch is still missing - I have doubts it will launch as scheduled, but we'll just have to see since there's indeed a gap in SLC-4E's schedule that this launch would fit.

I can't say anything about the accuracy of 'future launches' section of that page, but I know there are some missing from the 'completed missions' sections - to include Crew-10.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

Yup this launch is still missing - I have doubts it will launch as scheduled, but we'll just have to see since there's indeed a gap in SLC-4E's schedule that this launch would fit.

I can't say anything about the accuracy of 'future launches' section of that page, but I know there are some missing from the 'completed missions' sections - to include Crew-10.

For Crew-10 it’s because it’s in “Ongoing Missions” - undocking is in 4 days’ time!

[Martin_G]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

Yup this launch is still missing - I have doubts it will launch as scheduled, but we'll just have to see since there's indeed a gap in SLC-4E's schedule that this launch would fit.

But which booster would be used? The most likely (unassigned) one would be B1082, which would mean a turnaround time of 17 days.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

There's still no sign of this on SpaceX's page or in NOTAMs, I guess it's not launching as planned.

[avialuh]

https://www.spacex.com/launches

Yup this launch is still missing - I have doubts it will launch as scheduled, but we'll just have to see since there's indeed a gap in SLC-4E's schedule that this launch would fit.

But which booster would be used? The most likely (unassigned) one would be B1082, which would mean a turnaround time of 17 days.

B1081 was the more likely choice if it went ahead for the 5th, even though it was behind. The reason for that is that it landed on LZ-4 on it's last flight which means it doesn't need to go through the Port of Long Beach -> Vandenberg process and can skip ahead, this is quite common after Vandenberg RTLSs

[AndrewM]

The upcoming SLC-4E manifest per the SpaceX website is:

Starlink 17-6 - August 22nd between 08:44 and 12:44 PT
NAOS - August 26th between 11:45 and 12:30 PT
Starlink 17-7 - August 29th

This pushes this mission to NET September.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Finally after 4 whole months of disappearance, this group of Starlink satellites finally resurfaced on CADENA OIS!

Primary Launch Day 02 DEC 1856Z-2338Z Backup Launch Day 03 DEC 1834Z-2316Z Backup Launch Day 04 DEC 1812Z-2254Z Backup Launch Day 05 DEC 1749Z-2231Z Backup Launch Day 06 DEC 1727Z-2209Z Backup Launch Day 07 DEC 1705Z-2147Z Backup Launch Day 08 DEC 1643Z-2125Z

[Galactic Penguin SST]

https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-11-25

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 28 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app.

This is the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6B and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.

[zubenelgenubi]

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
Supplemental GP Element Sets
Current as of 2025 Dec 01 21:59:14 UTC (Day 335)

Starlink G11-25 Pre-Launch   
Derived from a pre-launch Starlink-G11-25 state vector, provided by SpaceX. SupGP data is provided for the entire stack, as well as one for a single satellite.

Launch: 2025-12-04 18:12:00 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 19:12:30.720 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 18:12:00 UTC to 2025-12-04 22:12:00 UTC.

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/table.php?FILE=starlink-g11-25&FORMAT=tle
Pre-Launch Derived Orbit:
254 km x 268 km x 53.16 deg

[Steven Pietrobon]

PDF of online press kit.

[zubenelgenubi]

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
Supplemental GP Element Sets
Current as of 2025 Dec 03 04:45:56 UTC (Day 337)

Starlink G11-25 Pre-Launch   
Derived from a pre-launch Starlink-G11-25 state vector, provided by SpaceX. SupGP data is provided for the entire stack, as well as one for a single satellite.

Launch: 2025-12-04 18:34:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 19:35:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 18:34:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 18:36:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #1   
Launch: 2025-12-04 18:50:00 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 19:50:30.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 18:50:00 UTC to 2025-12-04 19:04:29 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #2   
Launch: 2025-12-04 19:08:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 20:09:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 19:08:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 19:10:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #3   
Launch: 2025-12-04 19:24:00 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 20:24:30.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 19:24:00 UTC to 2025-12-04 19:40:19 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #4   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:12:50 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:13:20.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:12:50 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:15:29 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #5   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:25:30 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:26:00.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:25:30 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:38:09 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #6   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:42:50.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:49:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #7   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:49:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:50:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:49:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:50:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #8   
Launch: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 22:03:40.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC to 2025-12-04 21:16:29 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #9   
Launch: 2025-12-04 22:01:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 23:02:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 22:01:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 22:11:59 UTC.

[zubenelgenubi]

From https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-11-25 ;
Launch 20:25:30 UTC = 12:25:30 pm PST:

https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
Supplemental GP Element Sets
Current as of 2025 Dec 03 04:45:56 UTC (Day 337)

Starlink G11-25 Pre-Launch   
Derived from a pre-launch Starlink-G11-25 state vector, provided by SpaceX. SupGP data is provided for the entire stack, as well as one for a single satellite.
<snip>
Backup Launch Opportunity #5   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:25:30 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:26:00.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:25:30 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:38:09 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #6   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:42:50.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:49:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #7   
Launch: 2025-12-04 20:49:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:50:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:49:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:50:39 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #8   
Launch: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 22:03:40.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC to 2025-12-04 21:16:29 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #9   
Launch: 2025-12-04 22:01:40 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 23:02:10.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 22:01:40 UTC to 2025-12-04 22:11:59 UTC.

[zubenelgenubi]

https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-11-25 now states launch at 20:29:10 UTC = 12:29:10 pm PST
This is within backup launch opportunity #5.

However, CelesTrak has a later launch, previously launch opportunity #6:
https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
Supplemental GP Element Sets
Current as of 2025 Dec 04 03:59:16 UTC (Day 338)

Starlink G11-25 Pre-Launch   
Derived from a pre-launch Starlink-G11-25 state vector, provided by SpaceX. SupGP data is provided for the entire stack, as well as one for a single satellite.

Launch: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:42:50.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:46:59 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #1   
Launch: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 22:03:40.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 21:03:10 UTC to 2025-12-04 21:16:19 UTC.

Backup Launch Opportunity #2   
Launch: 2025-12-04 22:10:10 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 23:10:40.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 22:10:10 UTC to 2025-12-04 22:11:19 UTC.

[catdlr]

Here is a consolidated post of available video links for this launch:

SpaceX's direct live broadcast on
Website:  https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-11-25
 Twitter:  https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1YqJDNLOByDKV

SpaceX Re-broadcast alternatives on YouTube: 
Space Affairs:  https://youtube.com/watch?v=H5ABuDe5jag

There is no planned NSF Live coverage. Alternate Pre-Launch Coverage:  https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceflightNowVideo/streams

Replay supplied by The Space Devs (15 min after the broadcast end):  https://youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos

Summary Video provided by SciNews (15 min after the broadcast ends):  https://youtube.com/@SciNewsRo/videos

Fleet Booster Number:  https://twitter.com/BoosterSpX

[catdlr]

Initial weather outlook: A persistent high-pressure system is dissipating storms and fog. Temperatures are low, accompanied by gusty winds in the passes. Key considerations for tomorrow include surface and upper-level winds.

[catdlr]

The SpaceX countdown clock seems to have been adjusted to match CelesTrak (undoubtedly after reading zubenelgenubi post).

Launch: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC.
Deploy: 2025-12-04 21:42:50.320 UTC.
Launch window: 2025-12-04 20:42:20 UTC to 2025-12-04 20:46:59 UTC.