A Falcon 9 rocket’s dawn departure from Vandenberg Space Force Base delivered a show in the sky along with inserting 23 Starlink satellites into orbit.
The two-stage rocket build by SpaceX lifted off at 6:07 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4.
About eight minutes later, the first-stage booster completed its 23rd landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean.
Often mistaken for a failed mission, launches that occur an hour before sunrise or after sunset provide dramatic views seen around California and nearby states if skies are clear.
The ascent created what some label a jellyfish effect before winds scribbled the contrail across the sky.
The mission added to the constellation of Starlink satellites designed to provide internet access across the globe including areas where land-based service remains unavailable or unreliable.
More than an hour after Falcon’s liftoff, SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 23 Starlink satellites.
The firm said at the end of 2024 that Starlink now has 4.6 million customers around the world.
Starlink recently granted a month of free service for new and existing customers in the fire zones but participants needed to purchase the Starlink kit.
The firm also provided 1,350 free Starlink kits to fire departments and other disaster response agencies dealing with the Southern California fires.
The mission marked the second of the week and the fourth of 2025 from Vandenberg in what’s expected to be another busy year of space launches and missile tests.
The Falcon programs West Coast team set some records with the short time between launches this week from Vandenberg.
The SLC-4 team set a record for the shortest pad turn with just two days, 22 hours, 21 minutes and 10 seconds between Tuesday’s and Friday’s missions.
Additionally, the mission meant an overall droneship record achieved by the Falcon and OCISLY teams. The next best time is held by A Shortfall of Gravitas with three days 12 hours between landings.
“High five to the entire West Coast Falcon team for shattering some records,” SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev posted on X after the launch and landing.
SpaceX hopes to boost its launch rate at Vandenberg to 100 and added a second site, Space Launch Complex-6.
În conjunction with the proposal, an environmental impact statement will be prepared, prompting three in-person sessions last week and one virtual meeting 12 hours before Friday’s liftoff. Only written comments were collected at the four sessions.
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See more reader-submitted photos of the Friday morning launch below.
