Vandenberg Space Force Base, California – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried a group of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, marking another routine yet remarkable mission.

The liftoff occurred on February 2, coinciding with Groundhog Day, from Space Launch Complex 4 East. Under a clear blue sky, the rocket ascended at 10:47 a.m. EDT, mirroring how Punxsutawney Phil spotted his shadow that year.

Roughly nine minutes post-launch, the upper stage attained its initial orbit. It was scheduled to release the 25 Starlink satellites, designated as Group 17-32, approximately one hour later.

The satellites deployed as planned, but the upper stage encountered an issue. It “experienced an off-nominal condition during preparation for the deorbit burn. The vehicle then performed as designed to successfully passivate the stage,” SpaceX stated on X that afternoon. “Teams are reviewing data to determine root cause and corrective actions before returning to flight.”

The first stage returned safely, touching down on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the 31st mission for booster B1071, nearing the company’s reuse milestone set by booster 1067 in December 2025.

By contrast, sources note this was the 110th instance of the groundhog seeing his shadow since 1887.

Starlink offers high-speed internet to remote or underserved regions globally. Users can access features like checking winter weather updates on certain airlines or via smartphones on specific carriers.

This event was SpaceX’s 14th launch in the year. The Starlink network now comprises 9,628 operational satellites, based on data from astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

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