A familiar sight along California’s central and southern coast — a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base — reached a milestone Friday morning as SpaceX set a new annual launch record for the site.
The rocket launched at 7:06 a.m. from the Santa Barbara County base, carrying 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. It marked Vandenberg’s 52nd launch of the year.
As with previous launches, residents across Southern California may have heard or felt sonic booms, which occur when the rocket booster exceeds the speed of sound during its return. After stage separation, the booster successfully landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
This Starlink mission surpasses Vandenberg’s record of 51 launches set in 2024 — but, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine, the base is slated to host more than 70 launches for all of 2025.
“As we accelerate our space launch efforts and push boundaries, we are rewriting the playbook of what is possible within the rules of the game,” said Col. Mark Shoemaker, former Vandenberg Space Launch Delta 30 commander.
Friday’s launch also supports the U.S. space industry’s broader goal of expanding civil, commercial, and military launch capabilities — a need highlighted by the Ventura County Star.
The Star noted that even more launches could be planned for 2026, with a proposal on the table that could possibly double the number of annual launches from Vandenberg to 100.
Current serving Space Launch Delta 30 commander, Col. James Horne III, told the Star that slowing down their momentum or number of launches would “compromise” the nation’s ability to meet demands, and “jeopardize the nation’s strategic advantage.”
“We are building the architecture of the future and making sure we’re prepared for what our adversaries might do next,” Horne said.
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