SpaceX lit up the evening sky over Vandenberg House Drive Base right now (Jan. 22) with the launch of 25 extra satellites for its Starlink broadband web service.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg’s House Launch Advanced 4 East right now at 12:47 a.m. EST (0547 GMT; 9:47 p.m. on Jan. 21 native California time. The Falcon’s higher stage reached a preliminary orbit about 9 minutes later and launched its Starlink payload (generally known as Group 17-30) as scheduled, roughly an hour after launch.
“Deployment of 25 Starlink satellites confirmed,” SpaceX confirmed on social media.
The Falcon 9’s first stage, generally known as Booster 1093, accomplished its thirteenth flight, touchdown on the Pacific Ocean-based drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You.”
The new batch of satellites add to the 9,500 active units that comprise the Starlink megaconstellation. The service provides internet access to underserved areas around the world, as well as to airlines wanting to offer WIFI and cell phone carries seeking direct cell-to-satellite service for emergencies.
Thursday’s launch was SpaceX‘s ninth of the year and 592nd since 2010.
