Launch Preview: Falcon 9 and GSLV rockets scheduled to launch

Date:
Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:11:56 +0000

Description:
Four rockets are set to launch this week from the United States and India. SpaceX The post Launch Preview: Falcon 9 and GSLV rockets scheduled to launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Four rockets are set to launch this week from the United States and India. SpaceX is set to launch three Falcon 9 rockets, delivering two batches of satellites for their Starlink constellation and a classified payload for the United States Space Force. Internationally, India is set to launch a navigation satellite for the Indian subcontinent to a geostationary orbit.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-16

Falcon 9 will kick off launches this week with a Starlink mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. This mission was originally scheduled to launch on Oct. 23, but was delayed due to delays in launching Starlink Group 15-15 from the same
pad. Starlink Group 15-16 is scheduled to launch at 10:46 PM PDT on Monday, Oct. 26 (05:46 UTC on Oct. 27), with the launch window extending until 1:45
AM PDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27 (08:45 UTC). Flying on a southeasterly trajectory, Falcon 9 will deliver 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to low-Earth orbit
(LEO).

Falcon booster B1082 will support this mission on its 26th flight, following prior support for the USSF-62 (WSF-M 1), OneWeb #20, NROL-145, Transporter
18, and 21 Starlink missions. B1082 is set to land atop the Of Course I Still Love You droneship after stage separation. Starlink satellites before deployment. (Credit: SpaceX)

Falcon 9 is a two-stage, 70 m-tall, partially reusable rocket that uses nine Merlin 1D sea-level engines on its first stage and a single vacuum-optimized Merlin 1D on its second stage. Falcon 9s first stage lands either aboard an autonomous droneship or at a landing site, with its fairings being recovered and reused after flight. Both stages utilize RP-1 and LOX as propellants.

Starlink Group 15-16 will serve as Falcon 9s 700th mission overall.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-18

The second Falcon 9 launch this week will also fly from SLC-4E at VSFB. The launch window opens at 9:02 PM PDT on Thursday, Oct. 29 (4:02 UTC on Oct.
30), and extends until 1:02 AM on Friday, Oct. 30 (8:02 UTC). Flying aboard Falcon 9 will be another batch of 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites for the constellations Group 15 orbital shell.

Booster B1093 will support Starlink Group 15-18 on its 18th flight and is set to land downrange on Of Course I Still Love You . B1093 has previously supported the Tranche 1 Layer B and C, Transporter 16, and 14 Starlink missions.

GSLV MKII | NVS-03 (IRNSS-1L)

On Friday, Oct. 30, India is scheduled to launch the NVS-03 mission to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The launch will occur from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, with the window
opening at 17:00 UTC and extending until 21:00 UTC; launch is scheduled for 18:21 UTC. NVS-03 will be lofted into orbit by the Geostationary Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV MK.II) rocket. GSLV Mk.II on the pad ahead of a
previous NVS mission. (Credit: ISRO)

NVS-03, also known as IRNSS-1L, is a global positioning satellite built by India that uses the L1, L5, and S-bands for navigation. Unlike other global positioning satellites, NVS-03 will only serve the Indian subcontinent.
NVS-03 is bound for the 32.5 degrees East slot in geostationary orbit; it has an expected lifespan of 10 years.

Launching NVS-03 will be the GSLV Mk.II, developed and launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). GSLV Mk.II is a three-stage launch
vehicle capable of launching 2,500 kg to GTO. Its first stage utilizes a solid-fueled engine and is surrounded by four hypergolic liquid-fueled boosters. Its second stage is also powered by hypergolic fuels. GSLV Mk.IIs third stage is cryogenic, powered by the CE-7.5 engine, which runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

This mission will serve as ISROs third launch attempt of 2026, and 104th overall.

Falcon 9 | USSF-432

The third and final Falcon 9 launch of the week is the USSF-432 mission for the United States Space Force. Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch from SLC-4E at VSFB on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 5:56 PM PST (01:56 UTC on Nov. 2). The four-hour launch window extends to 9:56 PM PST (05:56 UTC).



Falcon 9 will follow a southeastern trajectory to deploy a classified satellite to LEO. Booster B1095 will support this mission, flying for the eighth time after previously supporting the GPS III SV10 and six Starlink missions. B1095 will land downrange atop Of Course I Still Love You .

This mission will be the 119th Falcon 9 mission of 2026 and the 255th overall orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2026.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



The post Launch Preview: Falcon 9 and GSLV rockets scheduled to launch appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/launch-preview-102626/


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