A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Starlink 11-19 mission on Oct. 19, 2025. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

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Update Oct. 19, 5 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC): SpaceX deployed the 28 Starlink satellites.

SpaceX launched its 50th Falcon 9 rocket of the year from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday.

The Starlink 11-19 mission added another 28 Starlink satellites to its broadband internet constellation in low Earth orbit. There were more than 8,600 satellites currently in orbit, according to stats maintained by astronomer and expert orbital tracker Jonathan McDowell.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 12:24 p.m. PDT (3:24 p.m. EDT / 1924 UTC).

SpaceX used the Falcon 9 booster with the tail number B1088 to launch this mission. This was its 11th flight following the launches of NASA’s SPHEREx, Transporter-12 and two missions for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1088 completed an autonomous landing on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 158th landing on this vessel and the 521st booster landing to date.