A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:42 a.m. PDT Wednesday, sending 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit. The launch marked the company’s 104th orbital mission of the year and the 79th Starlink mission in 2026. The Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1063, took off from Space Launch Complex 4-East and made its 35th flight. It followed a south-easterly trajectory before landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California. SpaceX confirmed the satellites deployed successfully about an hour after liftoff. The mission comes as SpaceX shifts Starlink operations to the West Coast, allowing the company to focus on Starship preparations at Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9’s second stage separated shortly after liftoff, carrying the satellites toward their orbital destination. This is the first Starlink mission launched from Vandenberg since 2023. SpaceX has used the West Coast site for other missions but has increasingly relied on Cape Canaveral for Starlink launches in recent years. The company plans to debut Starship on the East Coast later this year, a move that requires significant infrastructure changes at Kennedy Space Center. The successful launch follows a busy week for SpaceX, which also completed a Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station earlier this month. Vandenberg Space Force Base has hosted 13 Starlink launches since 2021, but the shift to the East Coast reflects SpaceX’s strategic priorities. The Falcon 9’s reusability remains a key factor in SpaceX’s operations, with B1063 having flown 35 missions since its first flight in 2019. The Starlink constellation now includes over 5,000 satellites, with the V2 Mini version designed to be smaller and more cost-effective than previous models.