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Hours after setting clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time, SpaceX went forward with a launch of Starlink satellites on Sunday (March 8).
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:00 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT or 4:00 a.m. PDT local time) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. About an our later, SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of all 25 broadband internet relay satellites (Group 17-18) into low Earth orbit.
The Falcon's first stage, Booster 1097, completed its seventh spaceflight with a landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
A time lapse photograph captures the streak of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Previous Booster 1097 missions Sentinel-6B | Twilight | 4 Starlink missions
The launch increased the total number of active Starlink satellites to 9,915, according to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
The mission was SpaceX's 29th of the year and 639th in its history.
— Source: Space.com (https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-17-18-b1097-vsfb-ocisl)
