SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites to orbit from California

SpaceX just launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday (Dec. 4) at 10:05 p.m. EST (7:05 p.m. local California time; 0305 GMT on Dec. 5).

The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, landing on the SpaceX droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean.

It was the 12th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Half of those missions have been Starlink flights.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, continued carrying the 20 Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit. It deployed them there about 61 minutes after liftoff as planned.

Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky

SpaceX has already launched more than 80 Starlink missions so far in 2024. The huge, ever-growing constellation currently consists of more than 6,700 operational spacecraft, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, “Out There,” was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.