SpaceX launches 22 Starlink internet satellites from California, lands rocket at sea (video)

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It was the 124th Falcon 9 launch of the year.

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit today (Dec. 13).

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 4:55 p.m. EDT (2155 GMT; 1:55 p.m. local time in California).

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

a black-and-white spacex falcon 9 rocket launches into a blue sky.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 13, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the ninth liftoff and touchdown for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Seven of those nine flights have been Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, will deploy the 22 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit 60 minutes after launch.

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

A black and white spacex falcon 9 rocket first stage sits on the deck of a ship at sea.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching 22 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 13, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)
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SpaceX has launched more than 120 Falcon 9 missions so far in 2024. Nearly 70% of them have been devoting to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of more than 6,800 operational spacecraft.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.