Residents of Southern California who saw a mysterious streak in the nocturnal sky can chalk it up to another SpaceX launch.<\/p>\n
SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 launched 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base to low-Earth orbit at 10:16 p.m. Monday, according to a post<\/a> by the company.<\/p>\n The launch was streamed live on SpaceX\u2019s website<\/a> and X account<\/a>.<\/p>\n The booster involved has already flown 13 missions<\/a>, and was expected to land on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. This launch will bring Starlink\u2019s total number of satellites in space to more than 10,000, according to Space Flight Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura county residents may have heard sonic booms during the launch, the company said.<\/p>\n Social media posts from Santa Monica to Huntington beach showed a red streak in the sky shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday. Nearly 100,000 viewers were watching the livestream on X.<\/p>\n Although impressive for stargazers, SpaceX launches are not without controversy. As the company seeks to double the annual number of launches from Vandenburg Space Force Base — from around 50 to 100 \u2014 the California Coastal Commission has raised concerns<\/a> about the effects on wildlife, and residents have noted disturbances from sonic booms. The government of Mexico has threatened to sue SpaceX<\/a> over debris from its rockets.<\/p>\n