A new batch of Starlink satellites arrived in orbit Sunday morning following a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The liftoff came as a federal agency recently granted a request to grow the next-generation constellation.

The SpaceX rocket blasted off at 9:30 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4, with the first-stage booster later landing on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean.

An hour after launch, SpaceX confirmed the rocket successfully deployed the Starlink satellites.

The launch occurred days after the Federal Communications Commission authorized an additional 7,500 Starlink next-generation satellites, boosting the constellation to 15,000, an act FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called a “game-changer.”

“By authorizing 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition, and help ensure that no community is left behind,” Carr said in a written statement Jan. 9.

The approval stopped short of fulfilling a larger SpaceX plea.

“While SpaceX requests action on its entire proposed 29,988-satellite constellation, we proceed incrementally here,” the FCC order says. 

Along with high-speed internet service, Starlink also delivers direct-to-cell capabilities.

The FCC order requires SpaceX to submit reports twice a year on the constellation, including satellite re-entry, disposal failures, and other details aimed in part at reducing the risk of orbital debris. 

In addition to Vandenberg, Starlink satellites also have launched from Florida, with plans to include Texas.

Another Starlink mission from Vandenberg is planned for Thursday morning.

The launch is aiming to take place between 7:17 and 11:17 a.m., with the first-stage booster, making its 19th flight, expected to land on a droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean.