SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands in the launch position during sunset at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Image: SpaceX

Update Sept. 26, 1 a.m. EDT: SpaceX deployed the 24 Starlink satellites.

SpaceX launched its third Falcon 9 rocket in less than 41 hours. Completing the trio of flights, along with NASA’s IMAP and Starlink 10-15, was the flight of the Starlink 17-11 mission, which took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base Thursday night.

Liftoff of the mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 9:26 p.m. PDT (12:26 a.m. EDT / 0426 UTC). The rocket deployed 24 of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit a little more than an hour into the mission.

The mission featured first stage booster B1082, which made its 16th flight following the launches of NROL-145, USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20 and 12 previous batches of Starlink satellites.

Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1082 performed an autonomous landing on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You. This was the 153rd landing with this vessel and the 512th booster landing to date.

The mission was SpaceX’s 475th launch of a flight-proven booster and the 540th overall launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.