Friday night light: SpaceX launch from California sends two dozen new Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit

SpaceX added 24 new Starlink satellites to its orbital network on a Friday night (July 18) launch from California.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:52 p.m. local (11:52 p.m. EDT or 0352 GMT on July 19) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. At about nine minutes into the flight, the booster's upper stage delivered the two dozen satellites to space.

The flight was on track to deploy the Starlink spacecraft into low Earth orbit an hour later.

The Falcon 9 first stage successfully completed its 14th mission by landing on "Of Course I Still Love You," an autonomous droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

The launch was the was SpaceX's 88th Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and 516th completed mission.

With Friday's group (17-3), the Starlink network now includes over 7,965 active units out of the more than 9,200 satellites launched since 2019. SpaceX's service provides broadband internet access to areas where other connectivity is not available, as well as direct-to-cell capabilities for select phones and providers.