SpaceX launched two dozen extra of its Starlink web satellites to orbit this morning.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink craft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on California’s central coast immediately at 12:26 a.m. EDT (0426 GMT; 9:26 p.m. on Sept. 25 native California time).
About 8.5 minutes later, the Falcon 9’s first stage touched down on the SpaceX drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
It was the 16th flight for this particular booster, which is designated B1082. Twelve of those missions have been Starlink launches.
Meanawhile, the Falcon 9’s upper stage continued carrying the Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit, where they’re scheduled to be deployed 62.5 minutes after launch.
Previous Booster 1082 missions
This morning’s liftoff was the 123rd Falcon 9 launch of the year, and the 15th to take place already this September.
The vast majority of the 2025 Falcon 9 launches — more than 70% of them — have been dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation. There are now nearly 8,500 active spacecraft in the network, according to astrophysicist and satellite tv for pc tracker Jonathan McDowell.