Less than 72 hours after the last launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the SpaceX team turned around and did it again Monday.

The latest Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 5:43 p.m. Monday after bypassing earlier opportunities Monday afternoon.

About eight minutes later, the rocket’s first-stage booster successfully landed on the droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean.

After declaring the rocket’s second-stage had achieved “nominal park orbit insertion,” SpaceX representatives confirmed the 28 Starlink satellites had deployed.

Monday’s mission occurred less than the typical three days the team has to ready for liftoffs from SLC-4, with the 56-hour gap reportedly setting a new record. 

The short time frame for readying a rocket for launch is especially noteworthy considering that historically, teams have needed months to prepare a space booster plus payload for the departure.

This marked Vandenberg’s 58th rocket launch and missile test of 2025, with all but five of those missions being Falcon flights.

SpaceX intends to launch one more mission from Vandenberg before October ends. 

The next Falcon 9 rocket launch will aim for departure between 1:06 and 5:06  p.m. Thursday with landing planned for the droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean.