SpaceX has launched yet another successful mission, marking a busy start to the weekend for the private spaceflight company. Just hours ago, at exactly 5:19 p.m. local time, a Falcon 9 rocket soared into the California sky from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit.

Designated as the Starlink 15-3 mission, the rocket was powered by the Falcon 9’s reusable first-stage booster known as B1081. This marks the 14th flight for this veteran booster, which had already supported six previous Starlink deployments. Roughly two and a half minutes after launch, its engines shut down, and the booster detached from the upper stage as planned.

“In a spectacular display of precision, the booster completed its journey by landing safely on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, stationed out in the Pacific Ocean — a signature SpaceX maneuver that keeps their missions efficient and sustainable.”

Meanwhile, the upper stage continued onward, delivering 26 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. They are scheduled to separate from the rocket about one hour after launch, before beginning their gradual shift into individual positions within the massive Starlink constellation.

Starlink now boasts more than 7,000 operational satellites, providing high-speed internet connectivity to users around the world — except for the polar regions. By simply pointing a Starlink receiver at the sky, users in most parts of the globe can tap into a reliable, space-based broadband connection.

Tonight’s mission marked SpaceX’s 54th Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and the company’s 56th orbital mission overall for the year. The remaining two flights were Starship tests — part of the company’s development of its next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket. Another Starship test flight is reportedly just weeks away.

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Reporting by Katy Moore.