A SpaceX rocket carrying 47 Starlink satellites launched around midnight from the California coast and shined like a bright candle in the night sky over Southern California.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:19 a.m. California time from Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Santa Barbara. The rocket carrying Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit could be seen for miles around as it soared over the coast.
After separation, the first-stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
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SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the Hawthorne-based company's rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.
If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.
Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.
