SpaceX launched another set of its Starlink internet satellites from southern California on Saturday evening (Feb 22).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Station at 8:38 p.m. EST (5:38 p.m. local time or 0138 GMT Feb. 23).
As to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff. It touched down on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
It was the 11th launch and landing for this particular booster, and its 8th Starlink mission overall, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, continued to haul the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), where there were to be deployed about 62 minutes after liftoff.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
SpaceX has now launched 23 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, 17 of them Starlink flights.
The Starlink megaconstellation — the biggest ever assembled — currently consists of more than 7,000 operational spacecraft, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
Article by:Source: robert@collectspace.com (Robert Z. Pearlman)
