In a spectacular night-time spectacle, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket illuminated the skies over Southern California on Monday as it soared into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The launch, which carried 23 Starlink satellites into orbit, was originally scheduled for Sunday but was delayed by a day. Residents across the West Coast of North America were treated to a spectacular display as the rocket’s fiery trail blazed across the night sky. Videos and pictures shared on X showed the rocket’s fiery plume leaving a trail as it ascended.Â
#SpaceX #falcon9 #rocket 😊 pic.twitter.com/toz7VVbgbY
— pumpkin (@AmazingGrace432) February 11, 2025
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:09 pm EST on February 11. The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, touching down in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” Space.com reported.Â
According to the outlet, 23 Starlink satellites were part of SpaceX’s ongoing mission to provide high-speed internet to remote and underserved areas globally. The launch marked the 445th mission for SpaceX. The company has now launched 18 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, with 12 of them Starlink flights.Â
The Starlink satellite constellation currently has more than 6,900 operational spacecraft, the outlet reported.Â
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Since its first launch in 2018, SpaceX has placed approximately 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, each measuring 9.2 feet in length, 4.6 feet in width, and 0.7 feet in thickness. The company aims to expand this network to 42,000 satellites in the coming years.Â
Notably, while SpaceX continues its Starlink expansion, it recently faced a setback with its Starship prototype. On January 16, a Starship upper stage broke apart minutes after launch from Texas, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to reroute due to falling debris.
The spacecraft lost communication eight minutes after liftoff, prompting SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot to confirm an anomaly. Video footage captured bright orange debris streaking across the sky over Haiti, leaving trails of smoke behind.
