SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
SpaceX fired a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, sending 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. A SpaceX/X post captured the moment (https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1997751635267973256).
Dec. 7 (UPI) -- SpaceX added another 28 satellites to the Starlink constellation in a Sunday mission, according to company statements.
In a news release, SpaceX confirmed the satellites were deployed by a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4 East in California, at roughly 9:58 a.m. local time.
SpaceX noted that the first-stage booster had previously flown this mission’s stage 12 times, supporting missions including NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and eight prior Starlink launches.
Following stage separation, the booster touched down on a floating drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX cautioned that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties might have heard sonic booms during the launch, though actual effects depend on weather and other conditions.
A second Falcon 9 mission is planned for later on Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 29 more Starlink satellites into orbit.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket recently carried two of NASA’s EscaPADE spacecraft from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on November 13, 2025. (Photo by Joe Marino/UPI)
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