SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Friday night, delivering 24 Starlink communications satellites to low-Earth orbit in support of Department of Defense communications.
The liftoff occurred just before 10 p.m. local time, with the first-stage booster steering back to a landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean after completing its mission. The booster had flown in 14 previous missions prior to this flight.
The launch window was scheduled from 7:05 p.m. to 11:05 p.m., and the mission marked SpaceX’s fifth launch from Vandenberg this month and the 43rd from the base this year. A live webcast was available about five minutes before liftoff, as spectators watched the rapid cadence of SpaceX launches from the California site continue to grow.
No sonic boom was expected to be heard over populated areas, and the mission underscores SpaceX’s ongoing role in expanding the Starlink network while supporting DoD communications with a robust constellation of satellites.
What this means:
– The DoD-driven use of Starlink continues to rely on SpaceX’s frequent launches to bolster secure and reliable space-based communications.
– The cadence from Vandenberg demonstrates the base’s growing role in national security and commercial space operations.
– Each successful landing on the droneship highlights the reusable-rocket approach that sustains the rapid launch tempo.
Summary: SpaceX’s Friday night launch from Vandenberg delivered 24 Starlink satellites to orbit and achieved a successful first-stage landing on a Pacific droneship, continuing a busy month and year for launches from the base with a focus on DoD communications and broad satellite coverage.
If you’d like, I can add a brief explainer on how Starlink satellites integrate with DoD networks or provide a short primer on the droneship landing system for readers.