Tonight's launch was SpaceX's 68th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and 71st overall liftoff so far this year. The additional three were test flights of Starship, SpaceX's next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket, which most recently launched on May 27.

SpaceX on Wednesday afternoon launched another batch of 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the 15th anniversary of the first Falcon 9 rocket launch.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base tonight (May 9), carrying 26 Starlink satellites for the company's growing constellation.