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A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 15 Starlink satellites took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday night. This launch marked the 19th successful launch by SpaceX this year. The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-4 near Lompoc amid foggy conditions, with SpaceX using a sketched outline to prove the presence of the obscured vehicle.

After more than nine minutes, the rocket’s first-stage booster returned and landed on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean. Starlink satellite deployment was scheduled to occur approximately 14 minutes after liftoff, pending confirmation from a ground station.

Vandenberg officials expressed enthusiasm for the launch, stating that it would bring the number of launches for the year in line with expectations. They anticipated achieving over 30 launches by the end of 2022. Earlier estimates had suggested that Vandenberg could see more than 40 missions.

Starlink, designed and manufactured by SpaceX, aims to provide internet access in areas where land-based service is unavailable or unreliable. SpaceX plans to deploy approximately 30,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, which explains the high launch frequency from both California and Florida. Just a day prior to this mission, 22 Starlink satellites were launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Of the 16 Falcon 9 rocket missions conducted by the West Coast this year, 12 involved Starlink satellites. The remaining four missions carried payloads for other customers. Vandenberg has also executed three suborbital missions, including two Minuteman III missile tests and one Stratolaunch flight.

Earlier Falcon missions from Vandenberg typically carried up to 52 Starlink satellites. However, with the introduction of the second-generation satellites, SpaceX has been launching fewer satellites per mission. The larger Gen 2 satellites offer improved throughput and increased reliability, providing high-speed internet access to millions of Americans.

To date, SpaceX has launched more than 4,900 Starlink satellites, with approximately 4,560 still in orbit. These numbers come from Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who compiles statistics for Jonathan’s Space Report.

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