SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites from California in dusky evening liftoff (video)

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It was SpaceX's 26th Falcon 9 launch of the year.

SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit tonight (March 18).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off tonight from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:28 p.m. EDT (7:28 p.m. local California time; 0228 GMT on March 19).

The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It landed vertically on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You," which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 18, 2024.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 18, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.

The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, will continue hauling the 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. They'll be deployed there about 62.5 minutes after liftoff.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites into orbit from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 18, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket comes down for a droneship landing shortly after launching 22 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 18, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)
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Tonight's launch was the 26th operational mission of 2024 for SpaceX. Seventeen of those flights have been devoted to building out the Starlink broadband megaconstellation, which currently consists of more than 5,500 satellites.

SpaceX has also conducted one very high-profile test flight in 2024 — the March 14 launch of its Starship megarocket. That was the third test mission for Starship, which SpaceX is developing to help humanity settle the moon and Mars.

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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.