SpaceX kicked off a potentially busy weekend with the launch of a batch of Starlink satellites this evening (May 9) from California.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX’s Starlink 15-3 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 8:19 p.m. EDT (5:19 p.m. local time; 0019 GMT on May 10).
The stack of 26 Starlink satellites began their journey into low Earth orbit (LEO) aboard a Falcon 9 first-stage booster designated B1081. This was the 14th launch of B1081, which has supported six previous Starlink missions.
The booster’s nine Merlin engines cut off approximately 2.5 minutes into flight, followed in short order by the separation of B1081 from the rocket’s upper stage.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster landed safely on SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
The rocket’s upper stage continued toward LEO with the 26 Starlink satellites; it’s expected to release them from the rocket’s payload adapter about one hour into flight. Each satellite will maneuver into more specific orbits to within the Starlink megaconstellation over the next few days.
SpaceX’s Starlink network consists of more than 7,000 operational satellites and counting. As a whole, they operate in a lattice that blankets nearly all of the planet, save for the poles. Starlink offers users a high-speed internet connection from anywhere (other than the poles) customers are able to point their Starlink receiver toward the sky.
Tonight’s launch was SpaceX’s 54th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and 56th liftoff so far this year. The other two missions involved Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket. The company is gearing up for another Starship test flight — the vehicle’s ninth overall — in the coming weeks.