SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from California

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from California early Monday morning (Sept. 25), carrying 21 Starlink satellites to orbit.

The Falcon 9 is lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Florida on September 25 at 4:48 a.m. EDT (0848 GMT; 1:48 a.m. local California time), Space.com reports.

The launch was streamed live via SpaceX's account on X (formerly Twitter); coverage started about five minutes before liftoff.

Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship pic.twitter.com/EHF885sPDr

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 25, 2023

The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth safely, landing on a SpaceX drone ship as sea about 8.5 minutes after launch.

It was the sixth liftoff and landing for this Falcon 9 first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description. 

The 21 Starlink satellites deployed from the Falcon 9's upper stage into low Earth orbit (LEO) about 62.5 minutes after launch.

September 25 morning's launch came less than two days after a Starlink liftoff from Florida's Space Coast that marked the 17th flight for a Falcon 9 first stage. That tied the company's reuse record, which was set just last week. 

Starlink is SpaceX's internet megaconstellation. The network consists of more than 4,750 operational satellites in LEO, and that number will continue to grow far into the future.