SpaceX continues to expand Starlink constellation

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:01 a.m. EDT (0701 GMT; 9:01 p.m. on September 24 local time).

Following a planned trajectory, the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing safely on the SpaceX drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. This marks the 10th launch and landing for this specific booster, according to SpaceX mission reports.

The upper stage of the Falcon 9 continued its ascent to low Earth orbit, where it is scheduled to deploy the 20 satellites approximately 60 minutes post-launch. These new additions will expand the Starlink megaconstellation, which now includes over 6,300 active spacecraft.

This launch is part of a busy week for SpaceX, as the company prepares for the upcoming Crew-9 astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), set to launch on Saturday, September 28, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (ILKHA)