File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands in launch position at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base at sunset. Image: SpaceX
Update March 20, 6:14 p.m. EDT (2214 UTC): SpaceX adjusted the T-0 liftoff time.
SpaceX launched its 30th batch of Starlink satellites this year with a Friday afternoon launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 2:51:49 p.m. PDT (5:51:49 p.m. EDT / 2151:49 UTC). The rocket will fly on a southerly trajectory upon leaving the launch pad. The Starlink 17-15 mission carried 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit.
SpaceX launched the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1100. This was its fourth launch after previously flying the NROL-105 mission and two batches of Starlink satellites.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1100 landed on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 185th landing on this vessel and the 589th booster landing for SpaceX to date.