A Falcon 9 rocket delivered another set of Starlink satellites Saturday morning with a liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base as the SpaceX lawsuit against a state agency continues to make its way through the federal courts.
The two-stage rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites blasted off shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, deploying the payload approximately one hour after liftoff.
Vandenberg officials said the launch marked the 45th mission of the year from the Santa Barbara County base where leaders expect the tally will top 70 by the end of 2025.
That will exceed the 51 liftoffs from 2024, a number not seen since the 1970s, Vandenberg officials said.
“We are well on our way to get beyond 51 this year and are projected for 72,” Tom Stevens, executive director for Vandenberg’s Space Launch Delta 30, said during a recent EconAllliance forum in Santa Maria.
SpaceX accounted for a large chunk to this year’s missions, which also included Minuteman missile tests plus Minotaur and Firefly rocket launches. An Army missile test also occurred.
The 40th SpaceX launch of 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred Saturday morning. It also was Vandenberg’s 45th mission of 2025, including other rockets and missiles. Credit: SpaceX photo
Saturday’s launch marked the 40th Falcon flight from Vandenberg since Jan.1 as SpaceX again conducts missions above the number sanctioned by the California Coastal Commission.
In October, the panel objected to an increase from 36 to 50 SpaceX missions from Vandenberg and took a similar action last month when the Department of the Air Force sought to bump the annual limit to 100 missions.
The rejection remains moot as the federal officials and the state agency continue to dispute whether SpaceX missions should be handled as federal agency activity or private operation that would require obtaining a Coastal Development Permit, which can cause delays and add costs.
For a federal agency activity, the Department of Air Force must submit a consistency determination and ensure the project is “to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the enforceable policies of approved state management programs,” per the Coastal Zone Management Act.
Last October, SpaceX sued the California Coastal Commission after the panel rejected a consistency determination during a meeting where several members harshly criticized Elon Musk’s politics.
The state’s attorneys later asked the federal judge to dismiss the SpaceX complaint, leading to a summer ruling that dismissed some parts of the lawsuit.
But the big question about whether SpaceX should obtain a Coastal Development Permit remains to be decided by the court along with allegations commissioners were biased against SpaceX , federal Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. ruled.
“The dispute about whether SpaceX must obtain a CDP is predominantly—if not entirely—legal in nature, and defendants have expressed bias against SpaceX and appear determined to hold the threat of enforcement action over it,” the ruling said.
That key question about whether SpaceX launches should be considered federal agency activity has prompted additions to the launch alert issued by Vandenberg ahead of liftoffs.
“This launch supports Department of Defense communications through advanced low Earth orbit technology….Vandenberg SFB continues to provide safe and reliable access to space in support of national security and Homeland defense.”
But last month’s Coastal Commission staff report offered arguments for why SpaceX should get a Coastal Development Permit.
“The simple fact remains that it is a privately owned company engaged in activities primarily for its own commercial business. It is not a public federal agency or conducting its launches on behalf of the federal government. It should therefore be regulated accordingly.”
Coastal Commission staff argued the fact SpaceX leases launch facilities from the military and must get various licenses, permits and authorizations from a variety of state, local and federal agencies, bolsters the belief the firm should obtain a Coastal Development Permit.
The next SpaceX launch at Vandenberg will aim for Wednesday morning with a military payload on board the rocket.