SpaceX has launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites, sending 28 spacecraft into low Earth orbit from California’s central coast.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:42 p.m. EST.
The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” stationed in the Pacific Ocean. It was the fourth flight for this particular booster, designated B1097.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued to deploy the 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit roughly an hour after launch. The satellites will join SpaceX’s Starlink megaconstellation, which currently includes more than 9,000 active satellites and over 10,000 launched in total over the past six and a half years.
The latest mission was the 156th Falcon 9 launch of 2025, extending SpaceX’s record for the most orbital launches by a single rocket type in one year.
