After a brief break to make way for a missile test earlier this week, a Falcon 9 rocket launched Thursday afternoon from Vandenberg Space Force Base. 

The rocket, built by SpaceX, lifted off at 1:13 p.m. from Space Launch Complex-4, marking the 61st launch from Vandenberg during 2025. All but six of the launches involved Falcon rockets.

Vandenberg’s 60th liftoff of 2025 was a Minuteman III missile test launch for the Air Force early Wednesday morning.

Some eight minutes after leaving Vandenberg, the Falcon rocket’s first-stage booster successfully landed on the droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean. 

Approximately an hour after departing from Vandenberg, the rocket deployed the 28 Starlink satellites as planned, SpaceX confirmed.

“With today’s launch, @SpaceX has hit 170 launches on a rolling 365 day clock,” SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev said on X. 

That tally includes launches from Florida and Texas in addition to Vandenberg.

“This is made possible by a hardcore focus on safety and reliability,” he added. 

Another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch is planned for late morning Tuesday from Vandenberg to deliver the Transporter-15 mission, an assortment of small satellites designed for various purposes sharing the ride into orbit.