SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on October 23. The mission, which took off from the SLC-4E pad at 15:48 local time, carried 27 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit as part of the 15-15 group.
The first stage of the rocket, identified as B1063, completed its 36th flight and landing. Following separation, the booster performed a landing maneuver and touched down on the autonomous spaceport drone ship named Of Course I Still Love You approximately eight minutes after liftoff.
The B1063 booster has a history of significant missions, including the launch of NASA's DART mission in November 2021, which tested asteroid deflection technology. The second stage of the Falcon 9 continued its flight to deploy the satellites after the first stage successfully returned to Earth.
