SpaceX Launches Direct-to-cell Starlink Satellites

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 21 Starlink craft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 0313 UTC on Jan. 3. "This launch will include the first six Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities that will enable mobile network operators around the world to provide seamless global access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal waters," SpaceX wrote in a mission description. Falcon 9 First Stage came back to Earth for a vertical landing about 8.5 minutes after launch, touching down on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast