When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
The launch of a new batch of SpaceX Starlink satellites lit up the predawn sky in southern California today (Dec. 10) as the company marked its 160th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket this year.
Lifting off at 6:40 a.m. EST (1140 GMT or 3:40 a.m. PST local time) Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base's Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), the 27 broadband internet satellites (Group 15-11) were deployed into low Earth orbit just over an hour into the flight.
"Deployment of 27 Starlink satellites confirmed," SpaceX officials posted to social media.
Previous Booster 1082 missions
USSF-62 | OneWeb Launch 20 | NROL-145 | 14 Starlink missions
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket completed its 18th flight, landing back on the autonomous droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" positioned in the Pacific Ocean.
The Starlink megaconstellation now numbers more than 9,000 operational satellites, including the more than 3,000 launched just this year. The network provides access to the internet to areas around the world where there was no or sparse coverage, as well as enables WiFi access on commercial airliners and cell-to-satellite service on select providers.
Wednesday's launch was SpaceX's 165th overall launch of 2025 (including Starship test flights) and the 605th mission in the company's history.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
NASA will bring space station crew home early after medical issue - 2In Antarctica, photos show a remote area teeming with life amid growing risks from climate change
- 3Bird flu poses risk of pandemic worse than COVID, France's Institut Pasteur says
- 4The Excursion to Monetary Proficiency: Individual budget Triumphs
- 5Rubble, mud and hair: How to rebuild a home in Gaza
- Chris Noth responds to backlash after seemingly shading 'Sex and the City' costar Sarah Jessica Parker: 'It is not news'
- Artemis II shares new lunar images while more than halfway to the moon
- German journalists' union condemns attack on reporters in village
- 4 buzzy new TV shows to watch — plus the return of 'The Comeback,' 'Jury Duty' and more
- At least 7 dead as Israel renews attacks on Beirut and across Lebanon
- Physicists and philosophers have long struggled to understand the nature of time: Here's why
- Influencers are selling a delusional fantasy of being postpartum. Why is it so easy to believe?
- These HGTV stars made a pledge to keep their kids off smartphones. Here's how it's going.
- The Solution to Ecological Protection: Saving Nature for People in the future
