Stage 1 landing confirmed!

Nominal orbit insertion callout at T+8:32.

MECO, stage separation, M-vac ignition, boostback burn, and fairing separation.

No coverage of the second stage because, well, it’s an NRO launch :)

Liftoff!

Nominal liftoff, booster landing, and Starlink deploy: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1998173609785958747

Deployment of 29 @Starlink satellites confirmed

2025-12-08 Starbase activities:

• Road delay is posted for Dec 8th 23:59 to Dec 9th 04:00 for “Pad to Port of Brownwsville”. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX)
• Launch site: The LR11000 crane removes two tanks and loads them onto multi-axle trailers. (ViX 1, ViX 2, TrackingTheSB)
• Work continues on the Pad 2 chopsticks. (mymatrixplug)
• Build site: Gigabay construction continues. (ViX, mymatrixplug)

Florida:

• Two tanks marked “Liquid Nitrogen” arrive at Port Canaveral. (Cornwell)

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m6ts56kxr22e

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Transporter15

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m6wgueqros2j

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Starlink 6-86

Nominal liftoff, booster landing, and Starlink deploy.

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m6zq3sg5as2y

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Starlink 15-10

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1995742562347278727

Deployment of 27 @Starlink satellites confirmed

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m74ckgld522y

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Starlink 6-95

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1995997603498959065

Deployment of 29 @Starlink satellites confirmed

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m7aby4fhp22y

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Starlink 11-25

https://bsky.app/profile/rykllan.bsky.social/post/3m7gagenq522g

#Falcon9 fairing halves of #Starlink 11-15

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1996696929049161915

Deployment of 28 @Starlink satellites confirmed

Nominal launch, booster landing, and Starlink deploy.

2025-12-07 Starbase activities:

• Quiet day, not much action reported.
• Dec 6th addendum: Drone show. (ViX 1, ViX 2, Priel)

McGregor:

• Another five engines depart the testing area, including the new highest observed serial number engine R3.88. (Rhin0 1, Rhin0 2)
• ClaudiusNDX posts recent flyover photos.

2025-12-05 Starbase activities:

• Massey’s: Overnight, test tank S39.1 undergoes its second cryo test. (NSF, ViX, SGTheHyundaiGuy)
• The remaining B18 aft section is moved from the test stand to the transport stand, which moves towards the exit gate. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Road delay is posted for Dec 5th 23:59 to Dec 6th 04:00 for “Masseys to Production”. (ViX)
• Build site: Mystery structure, possible for a ring section stand, is delivered. (LabPadre, ViX)
• Gigabay construction continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• CyberguruG8073 posts hardware tracking diagrams covering Nov 28th to Dec 4th.
• Launch site: Some sort of tank is delivered to the air separation site. (ViX)
• A beam is placed on one of the stands, and the tank is unloaded. (ViX)
• The Pad 2 chopstick actuators leave the launch site. (ViX)
• The Pad 2 flame deflector is tested. (ViX)

2025-12-06 Starbase activities:

• Massey’s: Overnight, test tank S39.1 undergoes its third cryo test. (ViX)
• The remains of B18 (forward and aft sections) move from Massey’s to Sanchez. (NSF 1, NSF 2, Starship Gazer)
• Build site: B19 transfer tube moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (NSF, ViX)
• Sorensen posts photos of S39 in Megabay 2. (Sorensen 1, Sorensen 2, Sorensen 3)

2025-12-04 Starbase activities:

• Massey’s: Overnight, test tank S39.1 undergoes a short cryo test. (ViX)
• Two stands are moved from Sanchez to Massey’s. (ViX)
• B18 scrapping continues. (ViX)
• Build site: Another B19 aft section (A6:4) and the bottom section of the transfer tube move from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX)
• Launch site: An axial A 3-stage centrifugal compressor, possible a Atlas Copco Compander (image) is delivered to the air separation site. (ViX, Sorensen 1, Sorensen 2, Killip comments)
• The SpaceX LR11000 crane moves from Pad 2 to Pad 1. (ViX)

Florida:

• Gigabay construction continues. (Bergeron)

M-vac shutdown, nominal orbit insertion.