SpaceX launched one other batch of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit at present (Aug. 8) from California’s scenic central coast.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at present at 12:35 p.m. EDT (1635 GMT; 9:35 a.m. native time), carrying 24 of the internet-beaming spacecraft to low Earth orbit (LEO).
The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth as deliberate about 8.5 minutes later, touchdown within the Pacific Ocean atop the SpaceX droneship “Of Course I Nonetheless Love You.” It was the sixteenth flight for this explicit booster, which is designated B1093.
B1093’s most up-to-date flight earlier than at present was on July 14, when it launched 27 Starlink satellites to LEO from Vandenberg.
In the meantime, the Falcon 9’s higher stage continued carrying the 24 Starlink satellites towards LEO at present, deploying them about 61 minutes after liftoff as deliberate.
Earlier Booster B1093 launches
Right this moment’s launch was the 92nd Falcon 9 liftoff of 2026, and the 71st of the 12 months dedicated to constructing out the Starlink megaconstellation.
Starlink, by far the biggest orbiting community ever assembled, at the moment consists of more than 10,900 active satellites — and it is rising on a regular basis.
