Sunday evening, September 28, witnessed a spectacular launch over southern California as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared into the dusk, deploying 28 new Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

A Falcon rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:04 p.m. EDT (7:04 p.m. local PDT, or 0204 GMT on September 29). The mission rapidly ascended to space within minutes, with the booster’s upper stage anticipated to deploy the Starlink Group 11-20 broadband internet satellites roughly an hour after liftoff.

The Falcon rocket’s first stage, Booster 1063, successfully executed a propulsive landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. Its four landing legs deployed as it touched down, marking the stage’s 28th flight.

A recent launch successfully deployed 28 additional Starlink satellites, bringing SpaceX’s extensive megaconstellation to a total of over 8,500 active units.

This recent flight represented SpaceX’s 124th Falcon 9 mission within the current year, contributing to a cumulative total of 542 launches for the company since 2010.