SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base

SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday morning, scheduled for 7:36 a.m. PDT. The mission, designated Starlink 17‑40, placed 24 broadband‑internet satellites into low‑Earth orbit for the Starlink constellation.

The first‑stage booster, tail number B1088, was on its 17th flight and successfully returned to land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship in the Pacific Ocean, marking the vessel’s 206th landing and the 630th booster landing recorded by SpaceX. Live webcast coverage began about 30 minutes before liftoff, and the launch was visible from several viewpoints in the Lompoc Valley.