A batch of Starlink internet satellites were deployed Friday in an early morning SpaceX rocket launch from the Santa Barbara County coast.
The Falcon 9 launch shortly after 6 a.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base ushered 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
After separation, the first stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific.
The rocket was visible from points around Southern California, including Los Angeles. In it launch announcement, SpaceX noted, “There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.”
The rocket and its exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars along the coast, if skies are clear. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against the backdrop of a darkened sky.
Sunrise was at 6:55 a.m. Friday in Los Angeles.
Photos from Newbury Park, Torrance, Mission Hills and other locations showed the rocket’s exhaust plume illuminated in the sky after stage separation.
SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company’s rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.
If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.
Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 23 @Starlink satellites to orbit from California https://t.co/cfzghn3Qv1
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 24, 2025
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