### SpaceX Prepares for Landmark 500th Orbital Launch with Starlink Mission

SpaceX is gearing up for a milestone event with its 500th orbital launch, slated to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, named Starlink 11-22, is scheduled for liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 4:40 p.m. PDT (7:40 p.m. EDT, 2340 UTC) on Wednesday. This event coincides with the 15th anniversary of the inaugural Falcon 9 rocket launch.

The Falcon 9 rocket, set for its 26th flight, is propelled by the first stage booster designated B1063. This reliable booster has a distinguished history, having previously supported three National Reconnaissance Office missions, NASA's DART spacecraft, and 17 batches of Starlink satellites.

As part of the mission, B1063 aims to execute a precise landing on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You.' If successful, this will mark the 134th landing on this droneship and the 457th overall booster landing for SpaceX.

This launch also represents the 50th Starlink mission in 2025, further bolstering SpaceX's expansive satellite constellation. Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage of the launch, beginning approximately 30 minutes prior to liftoff.