VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — SpaceX reached a historic milestone Saturday evening, launching its 600th Falcon 9 rocket to date from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Starlink 17-13 mission lifted off at 5:59:59 p.m. PST (8:59:59 p.m. EST), carrying 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit on a southerly trajectory. By 10:45 p.m. EST, SpaceX confirmed deployment of the satellites.
The milestone launch comes just hours after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on the company’s 20th human spaceflight mission, underscoring a remarkably busy weekend for the aerospace company.
By the Numbers
The Falcon 9 rocket has become the workhorse of SpaceX’s fleet since its debut in 2010. The 600th launch milestone reflects:
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An accelerating launch cadence in recent years
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The rocket’s reusability, with many boosters flying multiple missions
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SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launch
Saturday’s mission continued the build-out of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which provides global internet coverage. The V2 Mini satellites represent an upgraded version of the original Starlink design, offering improved bandwidth and capability.
The launch window opened at the end of the day, with SpaceX taking advantage of the precise timing to send the payload on its way. The southerly trajectory from Vandenberg is typical for missions heading to polar orbits.
SpaceX has not announced any issues with the launch, and the mission appeared to proceed nominally through satellite deployment.
