SAN DIEGO — Did you see the strange shape moving across the San Diego sky just after sunset on Monday evening?
It was quite a site to see as a SpaceX Falcon 9 flew across the colorful sky, leaving a long trail in its path. The launch was part of the SpaceX Starlink mission.
The company had targeted Monday for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. With the liftoff planned for 7:28 p.m. PT, it put the Falcon 9 just over San Diego, CA as the sun set. SpaceX later confirmed Starlink satellites were successfully deployed.
Starlink is SpaceX's high-speed global internet service, delivered through a satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit, according to Starlink's website.
CBS 8 viewers sent in photos and videos through the CBS 8 app Near Me feature:
Videos and pictures filled up social media soon after the launch.
According to the SpaceX website:
SpaceX is targeting Monday, March 18 for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 7:28 p.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 11:10 p.m. PT. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Tuesday, March 19 starting at 7:38 p.m. PT.
This is the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SDA-0A, SARah-2, and seven Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
