A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shined above a twinkling Christmas tree like a festive tree topper during last week’s holiday lighting ceremony at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
SpaceX launched 20 new Starlink internet satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday (Dec. 4) at 10:05 p.m. EST (7:05 p.m. local California time; 0305 GMT on Dec. 5). The launch coincided with the annual tree lighting ceremony held at the base to ring in the holiday season.
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink satellites appears as the perfect tree topper in a new photo from the lighting ceremony, which captures the gleaming spacecraft just above an illuminated Christmas tree decked with multi-colored lights.
The annual holiday tree lighting hosted an array of activities including ice skating, food trucks, a Christmas market and a special food and drink menu at the base’s Pacific Coast Center, according to a statement from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. To kick off the event, U.S. Space Force Col. Mark Shoemaker, Space Launch Delta 30 commander, delivered a speech to the assembled personnel and family members.
The Dec. 4 Starlink launch marked a major milestone for SpaceX with the satellites successfully deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO) about 61 minutes after liftoff as planned.
Thirteen of the newly launched satellites represent the completion of the first Starlink satellite direct-to-cell phone constellation. This intricate network of satellites will allow unmodified cell phones to connect to directly the satellite internet network from remote areas or those lacking infrastructure.
Roughly eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth as planned, landing on a SpaceX droneship in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 12th launch and landing for this particular booster, half of which have supported Starlink satellite missions.