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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California

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A timelapse exposure of a daytime rocket launch results in a bright beam of light climbing into the overcast sky.

SpaceX added 24 satellites to its Starlink megaconstellation on Sunday (June 21) with a launch from California.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT or 9:39 a.m. PDT local time) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. SpaceX confirmed deployment of the Starlink batch (Group 17-28) about an hour after their launch.

Previous Booster 1063 missions

The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage (Booster 1063) completed its 33rd launch by landing on the autonomous droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The stage is just two flights shy of the current Falcon 9 reuse record of 35 launches.

The Starlink network now has more than 10,600 active satellites, according to tracker Jonathan McDowell. The service provides worldwide internet access, as well as inflight wifi and direct to cell connections for select providers.

Sunday;s launch was SpaceX's 72nd Falcon 9 mission of the year out of a total history 655 missions.

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