With thick fog stubbornly blanketing the coastline and blocking views of the liftoff, a Falcon 9 rocket roared away from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday night. 

The SpaceX rocket blasted off at 9:26 p.m. from Space Launch Complex-4, where cameras to capture the liftoff instead displayed the stubbornly thick fog.

Ironically, cameras on board the rocket displayed better images as the vehicle rose away from the Central Coast.

More than eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster completed its 16th mission when it landed on the droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. 

Deployment of the 24 Starlink satellites was set to take place about one hour after liftoff, according to SpaceX. 

The Vandenberg launch occurred about an hour after some Northern California residents reported seeing an object streak across the sky, reportedly a retired Starlink satellite re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. 

Another Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg is planned for late Sunday afternoon or early evening, although unfavorable weather and technical troubles can delay missions.

That mission’s purpose also will involve placing additional Starlink satellites in space to add to the constellation’s ability to provide internet access across the globe, including areas where land-based systems remain unavailable or unreliable.