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Space
Space
Science
Mike Wall

SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites from California (video, photos)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 21, 2025.

SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from California's central coast today (Jan. 21).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 27 Starlink craft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 GMT; 7:45 a.m. local time).

The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, touching down in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You."

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 21, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Eight of those flights were Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued hauling the 27 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. They were deployed there 61.5 minutes after liftoff as planned, SpaceX announced via X.

Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching 27 Starlink satellites from California on Jan. 21, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Today's launch was the 10th Falcon 9 mission of 2025. In 2024, SpaceX launched more than 130 flights with the workhorse rocket, about two-thirds of them Starlink missions.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:15 p.m. ET on Jan. 18 with the new launch date of Jan. 19, then again at 11:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 19 with the new Jan. 20 target date, then again at 5:50 p.m. ET on Jan. 20 with the new Jan. 21 target date. It was updated again at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 21 with news of successful launch, rocket landing and satellite deploy.

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