SpaceX to launch 27 Starlink satellites today following Starship explosion

SpaceX plans to launch 27 Starlink satellites today, January 18, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This follows a recent test flight of the Starship megarocket that ended in an explosion. The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off during a two-hour window starting at 12:03 p.m. EST. The first stage will return to Earth about eight minutes after launch. This mission marks the ninth Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and the tenth overall for SpaceX. The previous Starship test flight experienced a failure when its upper stage exploded shortly after liftoff.