- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, on Monday night.
- The rocket carried 22 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit and lifted off at 7:30 p.m. before the rocket returned to Earth.
- Officials said this is the 15th flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster rocket, including eight other Starlink missions and several others.
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The skies over Southern California were aglow Monday night as a SpaceX rocket streaked past on its way to space.
The Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles, around 7:30 p.m., leaving a bright plume of smoke in its wake.
The images were perhaps even more impressive than usual, as the sun had recently set 15 minutes earlier, but the light from our nearest star was still hitting the column illuminating it.
This ensured that the long cloud was visible throughout the region, even in neighboring Arizona.
Launches just before sunset or just before sunrise usually provide the best views, as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against a dark sky background.
The nighttime launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit is seen taking off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday night.
People stand on a dock beneath the wake of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of 22 Starlink Internet satellites into space.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket flies over the Pacific Ocean carrying a payload of 22 Starlink Internet satellites into space
The launch was visible throughout much of Southern California. Here you can see the San Clemente pier.
The launch was the 11th from Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was also the 32nd launch of the Falcon 9 in 2024. This image shows a similar rocket launch from Florida on Saturday.
SpaceX was supposed to launch the rocket on Saturday, but a weekend storm forced the launch to be delayed.
This time the rocket carried a payload of 22 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
The launch was the 11th from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
It was also the 32nd launch of the Falcon 9 in 2024, and the 21st used to help build the ‘Starlink megaconstellation’.
Once the satellites were deployed, the booster landed on the unmanned ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean.
Starlink is “the world’s first and largest satellite constellation that uses low-Earth orbit to deliver broadband Internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calling and more,” according to the service’s website.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can be seen launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, on Monday night.
People walk on a pier beneath the wake of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in San Clemente
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, on Monday night.
The rocket carried 22 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit and took off at 7:30 p.m.
The long cloud was visible throughout the region, including in neighboring Arizona.
Launches just before sunset or just before sunrise usually provide the best views, as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against a darker sky background.
You can see the rocket taking off with the mountains in the distance.
The rocket booster can be seen returning to Earth and is the object in the middle of this photo.
The satellite ‘constellation’ is made up of thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 340 miles.
The satellites are then connected to antennas that users install in their homes to provide Internet access.
When light conditions are right, the satellites appear on a train as they parade across the night sky.
Satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sunset and before sunrise, when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.