SpaceX successfully launched a new Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, sending 28 Starlink internet satellites into orbit. The mission, conducted on November 13, 2021, marked SpaceX’s first use of the West Coast launch site to deploy Starlink satellites. Vandenberg has previously been used by the company for missions involving polar orbit satellites and Earth observation satellites for a variety of customers.
The new Falcon 9 rocket, designated B1069, took off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg. It was the first mission for this particular booster, which successfully returned and landed on a drone ship named “Of Course I Still Love You” located in the Pacific Ocean, marking yet another successful recovery for SpaceX’s reusable rocket program.
The Starlink satellites were deployed in a polar orbit about 16 minutes after lift-off. This deployment is part of SpaceX’s plan to provide global internet coverage. The company has already launched more than 1,700 satellites into space, with over 1,500 currently operational. The polar orbit deployment allows the satellites to provide coverage to regions near the North and South poles, areas typically not covered by traditional geostationary satellites.
The launch was the 31st Falcon 9 mission of the year for SpaceX, and the 128th overall flight of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010. The company has performed a series of launches from both the East and West coasts of the United States, as well as from a floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
The launch also marked the return of SpaceX’s West Coast launch activities, which had been on a hiatus since January 2019. The company has been focusing on East Coast launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deploy the majority of its Starlink satellites.
In addition to its Starlink missions, SpaceX has a busy schedule ahead, with plans for more satellite launches, crewed missions to the International Space Station, and the eagerly anticipated first flight of its new Starship rocket. The company is also preparing for the launch of NASA’s DART mission, which is designed to test technology for deflecting an asteroid from a potential collision course with Earth.
The successful launch and recovery of the Falcon 9 rocket demonstrate SpaceX’s commitment to reusability, an approach that has greatly reduced the cost of space travel. The Starlink satellite network is a key part of SpaceX’s plan to fund its more ambitious projects, such as the development of the Starship rocket and the colonization of Mars.
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