25 Starlink Satellites Launched
SpaceX launched 25 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, continuing constellation growth and reusable-rocket operations from the California coast. (x.com) That flight is another incremental step for capacity and downlink coverage rather than a schedule-defining milestone. (x.com)
A Starlink launch can look routine now because the rocket is doing two jobs at once: it drops off internet satellites in orbit, then turns around and lands its first stage on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean instead of falling into the sea. On April 6, SpaceX used that system again from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, sending 25 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on a Falcon 9. (spacex.com) Starlink works by putting thousands of small satellites much closer to Earth than old television-style communications satellites. Low Earth orbit usually means a few hundred miles up instead of roughly 22,000 miles, which cuts the time your signal spends traveling back and forth. (spacex.com) That shorter trip is why Starlink can handle video calls, streaming, and online games better than older satellite internet systems. The tradeoff is that one satellite cannot see a huge slice of Earth for very long, so SpaceX needs a very large constellation instead of a few giant spacecraft. (spacex.com) This launch added 25 more satellites to that moving mesh. SpaceX said the mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg during a launch window that opened on April 5, and local coverage reported the actual liftoff happened on April 6 at 7:50 p.m. Pacific Time after a one-day slip. (spacex.com) (cbs8.com) The rocket’s first stage was flying for the first time on this mission, which is the opposite of the “same booster again” story that often defines Falcon 9 launches now. SpaceX said that booster was scheduled to land on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” the floating platform it uses for West Coast recoveries. (spacex.com) (edhat.com) Vandenberg matters because launches from California can head south over the Pacific without flying over densely populated areas, which is useful for many polar and high-inclination orbits. That makes the base a regular departure point for Starlink batches aimed at filling out parts of the network that are better served from the West Coast than from Florida. (spacex.com) (vandenberg.spaceforce.mil) The number 25 is also a clue about how SpaceX is flying Starlink now. Recent Vandenberg missions in February, March, and April 2026 also carried 25 satellites, suggesting a steady packaging pattern for these California flights rather than one-off record-setting batches. (spacex.com 1) (spacex.com 2) (spacex.com 3) So this was not a one-launch turning point so much as another brick in a very large wall. SpaceX is using frequent Falcon 9 flights from Vandenberg to keep thickening the Starlink network, one 25-satellite batch at a time, while keeping the reusable-launch machine running on the California coast. (spacex.com 1) (spacex.com 2)
