SpaceX Starlink Launch - Wednesday 06/24/2026
Trip Cost: FREE
SpaceX is targeting the Starlink 17-45 mission to launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The launch window is scheduled to open at 7:48 PM PDT (7:48 PM MST in Arizona) with launch opportunities extending until 9:48 PM MST.
Because the Falcon 9 will fly a southerly trajectory, it could be visible from Southern and Central Arizona depending on clear skies and atmospheric conditions. Sunset in Green Valley is scheduled for 7:32 PM, and the current forecast calls for mostly clear skies.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club at 6:15 PM for carpooling, departing at 6:45 PM. Comfortable shoes, water, insect repellant, a tripod and a folding chair are suggested. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or Camera Club badge, if available. For those carpooling, $2.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver. We should arrive at the viewing site - the Elephant Head Road Bridge over the Santa Cruz River - by 7:00 PM.
Upon arrival, you’ll have time to set up and get ready for two amazing shows. Not only is Starlink scheduled to launch, but sunset is also the time when hundreds, if not thousands, of bats come out of their man-made roosts under the Elephant Head Bridge to feed. We never know precisely when the bats will start heading out, so we’ll be sure to get there in ample time. The bat “show” should end shortly after dusk. We also never know precisely when the Starlink launch will occur, but the plan is to remain at the Elephant Head Bridge until around 8:45 PM if the Starlink launch hasn't already occurred or been rescheduled by then.
Tom Parker will be our trip leader. Contact Tom at 618-304-1456 or email at tparker324@aol.com with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event. Please add your trip leader's email and phone number to your contact list so you don't miss out on any important updates.
GVR requires that every person participating in the club's field trips must sign a waiver absolving GVR of any liability. You will be required to sign the waiver at the Photography club before the trip departs if you haven't already done so.
If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Co-Chair Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com. We may have people on the wait list to take your place.
If you have to cancel on the day of the trip, please call Tom as soon as you know you cannot make the trip.
NOTICE:
All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.
Be sure to have your GVR card with you for each and every field trip. Without it, you won't be allowed to go on the trip. No refunds will be granted for failure to comply with this requirement. To protect GVR and club member benefits, GVR has implemented a new process that requires each field trip participant to come into the club and scan his/her GVR card to confirm eligibility. We no longer have the option of typing in your name or GVR number – only the physical GVR card will do.
We will no longer meet in the parking lot. We will meet in the GVR Photography Club where you will scan your GVR card confirming your eligibility to go on the trip. We’ll also review important/late-breaking information, pair up drivers and riders, provide driving directions, and give participants a chance to visit the restrooms prior to departure. Again, be sure to have your GVR card with you.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
Photo courtesy of Ken Brown.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.