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

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.