SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches from California base

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Station late Tuesday night carrying 20 more Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.

The payload included 20 Starlink satellites, 13 of those with direct-to-cell capabilities.

The rocket's first stage separated as planned and about eight-and-a-half minutes into the mission, landed safely on a recovery ship in the Pacific called "Of Course I Still Love You."

According to SpaceX, it was the fifth launch and landing for this particular booster.

The upper stages continued on to deploy those 20 satellites into orbit, joining about 6,000 Starlink satellites already in service.

This was the 61st orbital launch for SpaceX this year.