SpaceX hits 35th Falcon 9 flight, deploys 29 Starlink satellites

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base for its 35th flight, lifting 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit before the first stage, B1071, touched down on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific about 8.5 minutes after liftoff; the Starlink satellites are slated for deployment roughly an hour after launch. The mission is the 81st Falcon 9 flight of 2026, with roughly 80% of flights to Starlink.