The satellites were launched by a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:49 a.m. local time from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the company said in a statement.

After separation, the rocket's first stage booster, numbered B1077, returned to Earth and landed on a barge called Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.

The launch marked the 23rd flight for this first-stage booster, highlighting SpaceX's strategy of driving down costs by reusing hardware rather than discarding it after a single use.

Last week, SpaceX set a record with the 30th flight of another Falcon 9 first-stage booster, numbered B1067. Other high-flight boosters are in their high-20s.

Though SpaceX continues to demonstrate the reusability of its first-stage boosters, and its payload fairings are often recovered and refurbished, other parts of its rockets remain strictly single-use.

SpaceX once aimed to recover and reuse the Falcon 9 second stage too, but Musk tweeted in 2018 that the idea was quietly dropped by 2018, instead focusing at the time on accelerating its Starship program.

SpaceX's next-generation Starship system is being designed for full reusability with its Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage intended to return and fly again, according to the company.

Last week marked the first significant show of progress by SpaceX in the reusability of Starship's Super Heavy booster and second stage. The Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico and the Starship upper stage splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Neither vehicle was recovered for reuse.

Meanwhile, the Dragon capsule used for carrying cargo and crew members to the International Space Station does see reuse but only its main body is flown again. Its heat shield still must be replaced after each mission, and the trunk section is expendable.

The Federal Communications Commission has granted permission for SpaceX to deploy about 12,000 Starlink satellites. In December 2022, regulators approved 7,500 of those for a second-generation constellation, and in 2024, expanded the frequencies allowed for those satellites. Neither later action increased the overall satellite cap.

More than 8,000 Starlink satellites are reported to be operational in orbit.

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 30, 2025 - SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Friday night.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 9:59 p.m. PDT from Pad 4E. The mission had been delayed three times from Aug. 20, Aug. 22 and Sunday.

It was the fourth Starlink mission in August, Space Flight Now reported.

The first stage flew for the 15th time, including two national security payloads and 11 other Starlink satellite missions.

It landed about 8 1/2 minutes later on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. It was the 147th landing on the ship and the 496th for SpaceX.

One hour after liftoff, the satellites were deployed.

There are more than 8,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, according to Jonathan McDowell.

SpaceX next is planning for a launch from Vandenberg's Pad 4E at 7:33 p.m. Tuesday with 24 Starlink satellites.

The next SpaceX liftoff from Florida is scheduled for 7:19 a.m. EDT Sunday at Cape Canaveral Space Force's Pad 40 with 28 Starlink satellites.

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