On a Monday evening just after half past eight, a Falcon 9 rocket rose from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Santa Barbara County coast, carrying 26 Starlink satellites toward low-Earth orbit, the nearest band of space to the planet. It is one more small stroke in an ongoing human effort to reach upward and return safely, since the booster that lifted them had already flown twice before and now came home to a landing pad in the Pacific. Those who looked up from across Southern California saw the launch as it crossed the sky, a shared moment of watching something leave the ground. The account
SpaceX Launches 26 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 from Vandenberg; Booster Returns for Third Flight
Twenty-six satellites rose, and the booster came back down.
Mark
So what actually happened Monday night?
Mimi
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg just after 8:30 p.m. with 26 Starlink satellites headed for low-Earth orbit.
Mark
And the booster came back?
Mimi
Yes. SpaceX video showed the first stage touching down on a landing pad the company said was in the Pacific Ocean.
Luke
Worth noting that's SpaceX's own video and statement. The report doesn't describe independent confirmation of the landing.
Mark
Fair. What's notable about this booster?
Mimi
It was on its third flight, according to SpaceX. Reuse is the point of landing the first stage at all.
Luke
Again, the flight count comes from the company. The report doesn't say how many more flights that booster might fly.
Mark
Could people see it?
Mimi
Across many parts of Southern California, yes. It traced a path across the sky.
Luke
And what we don't know from this report is whether all 26 satellites were deployed. It says they were carried to orbit, and it calls the launch successful, but gives no deployment details.
Mark
So what do we watch next?
Mimi
The next Starlink missions from Vandenberg.
Der Puls
- A Falcon 9 thundered off the Vandenberg pad just after 8:30 p.m. Monday, with 26 Starlink satellites pressed into its nose.
- The first stage was on its third flight, and every reuse tests whether a rocket can be trusted to fly again.
- Video showed the booster racing back to a landing pad in the Pacific, the return that decides whether this flight was a true success.
- Skywatchers across Southern California saw the rocket streak overhead, and the next Starlink launch from the coast is already on the horizon.
On a Monday evening just after half past eight, a Falcon 9 rocket rose from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Santa Barbara County coast, carrying 26 Starlink satellites toward low-Earth orbit, the nearest band of space to the planet. It is one more small stroke in an ongoing human effort to reach upward and return safely, since the booster that lifted them had already flown twice before and now came home to a landing pad in the Pacific. Those who looked up from across Southern California saw the launch as it crossed the sky, a shared moment of watching something leave the ground. The account rests on the company's own reporting and video, and it ends where the record does, with the rocket aloft and the booster descending.
Just after 8:30 on Monday night, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Riding on top were 26 Starlink satellites, bound for low-Earth orbit, the close band of space just above the planet where so much modern communication lives.
KABC reported the launch as a success. What made it especially worth noting was the booster itself. This was its third flight, meaning the first stage had already carried payloads twice before. Reuse is the quiet ambition behind these launches: a rocket that comes back can fly again, and each return is a small proof that the work can be repeated.
That return was the evening's second act. Video released by SpaceX showed the first stage touching down on a landing pad stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The footage is the company's own, so the account of the landing rests on its word and its pictures.
The launch did not belong only to the people at the base. Across much of Southern California, observers saw the rocket cross the sky on its climb, as evening launches from Vandenberg tend to draw eyes well beyond Santa Barbara County.
The reporting goes no further than liftoff and landing. The timing of the satellites' release after launch is not described, so the story ends where the evidence does: the rocket went up, the satellites started their journey, and the booster came back down. Watch the coast for the next Starlink mission, which will likely be seen across the region once more.
Just after 8:30 on Monday night, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. On board were 26 Starlink satellites, bound for low-Earth orbit.
The launch was reported by KABC as a success. SpaceX said the first stage booster supporting this mission was flying for the third time. That detail matters because the first stage is the part of the rocket the company aims to bring back and fly again, and this one had already made two earlier trips before Monday's.
The return was part of the evening's events. Video released by the company showed the first stage touching down on a landing pad, which SpaceX said was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The footage is the basis for the account of the landing, and it is SpaceX's own material, so the description of the touchdown rests on the company's word and its video.
The rocket was not only a matter for those at the base. People in many different parts of Southern California were able to see it as it crossed the sky on its trajectory. Evening launches from Vandenberg tend to draw attention across the region, and Monday's was visible well beyond Santa Barbara County.
The Starlink satellites themselves are headed to low-Earth orbit, the band of space closest to the planet. The source material does not give further detail on their deployment after liftoff, such as the timing of their release, so this account stops where the reporting does: the rocket launched, the satellites were carried toward orbit, and the booster came back down.
For readers watching the pattern, this was another Starlink mission from the California coast, flown on a booster with a growing flight history. Watch for SpaceX's next Starlink launches from Vandenberg, which would again be visible from across Southern California.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
This was the third flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission.— SpaceX, as reported by KABC
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