A SpaceX 7-18 Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg SFB, going down the west coast scene from Dodger Stadium Los Angeles CA/USA, Monday April 1, 2024. The vehicle was delayed a few days from thunderstorms and is carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night April 1, 2024 at 7:30pm. The sunset launch of its Starlink satellites viewed from Royal Palms Park in San Pedro with the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the foreground. (Contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night April 1, 2024 at 7:30pm. The sunset launch of its Starlink satellites viewed from Royal Palms Park in San Pedro with the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the foreground. (Contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Photo: Courtesy SpaceX
The trail of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is visible over Southern California on Monday evening. Photo: Dean Musgrove, SCNG
Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Photo: Courtesy SpaceX
Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.Under a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Photo: Courtesy SpaceX
A SpaceX 7-18 Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg SFB, going down the west coast scene from Dodger Stadium Los Angeles CA/USA, Monday April 1, 2024. The vehicle was delayed a few days from thunderstorms and is carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
A SpaceX 7-18 Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg SFB, going down the west coast scene from Dodger Stadium Los Angeles CA/USA, Monday April 1, 2024. The vehicle was delayed a few days from thunderstorms and is carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
San Diego CA – April 1: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, lights up the sky on Monday, April 1, 2024. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego CA – April 1: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, lights up the sky over Petco Park as the San Diego Padres played the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, April 1, 2024. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego CA – April 1: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, lights up the sky over Petco Park as the San Diego Padres played the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, April 1, 2024. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego CA – April 1: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, lights up the sky over Petco Park as the San Diego Padres played the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, April 1, 2024. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
After a handful of postponements, Hawthorne-based SpaceX enjoyed a successful launch Monday, April 1, of a Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
The rocket lifted off at 7:30 p.m., marking the 15th flight for the mission’s first-stage booster, which returned to Earth and landed successfully on SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, stationed offshore.
The trail of the rocket could seen in the sunset skies around Southern California, including over Dodger Stadium where the Blue Crew’s game with the San Francisco Giants was just starting.
The launch was originally scheduled Thursday but the mission was postponed multiple times amid dicey weather in the West.
Satellites from Starlink, a SpaceX-owned subsidiary, deliver broadband internet using a low Earth orbit, company officials said.
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft, helmed at its headquarters in the South Bay. The company was founded in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also owns the Tesla electric vehicle company and the social media site X, formerly Twitter.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, SpaceX successfully launched two Falcon 9 rockets from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A Falcon 9 launched the Eutelsat36D satellite at 5:52 p.m. on Saturday evening. Soon after the launch, the booster returned to the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Just under four hours later, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Launch Complex at 9:30 p.m. The satellites we deployed successfully.
Last month, SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try on March 14, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.
Two test flights last year both ended in explosions minutes after liftoff. By surviving for close to 50 minutes this time, the effort was considered a win by not only SpaceX’s Elon Musk, but NASA as well as Starship soared higher and farther than ever before. The space agency is counting on Starship to land its astronauts on the moon in another few years.
The nearly 400-foot Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built.
NASA needs Starship to succeed in order to land astronauts on the moon in the next two or so years. This new crop of moonwalkers — the first since last century’s Apollo program — will descend to the lunar surface in a Starship after transferring from NASA’s Orion capsule in lunar orbit.
