by SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from California early Wednesday (October 30).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell (DTC) transmission capability, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Station at 8:07 a.m. ET (1:07 p.m. GMT; 5:07 a.m. California local time).
SpaceX broadcast the launch via X, formerly Twitter.
The Falcon 9’s first stage arrived on Earth about eight minutes after liftoff, landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
This was the 14th launch and landing of this particular booster and its 11th Starlink mission overall, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9 upper stage carried the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), where they were to be deployed about an hour after liftoff.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
SpaceX has already launched more than 100 Falcon 9 missions in 2024, about two-thirds of which are dedicated to building the Starlink megaconstellation.
The company currently operates more than 6,400 Starlink spacecraft in LEO, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell. About 250 of them are DTC satellites.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on October 29 to reflect the most recent launch window provided by SpaceX, and updated again on October 30 after launch.
