Happy Halloween! SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites to orbit from California
SpaceX sent another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from California just after midnight on Halloween (Oct. 31).
SpaceX kicked off Halloween festivities with a morning launch from California. On October 31, a Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:04 a.m. EDT, sending 27 Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). The first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth successfully, landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean about 8.5 minutes after launch.
This marked the 18th flight for the specific booster, designated B1093. The record for a SpaceX first stage is 37, achieved by booster B1067 in August. After deploying the 27 Starlink satellites into LEO 62 minutes after launch, the Falcon 9's upper stage performed as intended.
Today's launch brought the total number of Starlink satellites in the Starlink megaconstellation to over 11,000, making it the largest satellite network ever assembled. This particular booster, B1093, had flown 118 times before this launch, with more than 70% of those missions focused on building out the Starlink network.
SpaceX has launched its Falcon Heavy and Starship rockets three times each this year. The Falcon Heavy is currently operational, while Starship remains in the test-flight phase. The company is preparing for another Starship launch, which is expected to occur sometime in November.
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