SpaceX launched the tenth Starlink mission from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 18, 2024. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:28 p.m., local time in Southern California and landed vertically on a droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean about eight minutes later.
The mission is part of an ongoing effort to build out a broadband megaconstellation consisting of more than 5,500 satellites already in orbit.
On March 18, SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the payload lifted off at 7:28 p.m., local time in Southern California, and landed vertically on a droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean about eight minutes later.
The launch marks the tenth flight of this particular booster for SpaceX, with seven other Starlink missions and two missions for the U.S. Space Development Agency under its belt. The mission is part of an ongoing effort to build out a broadband megaconstellation consisting of more than 5,500 satellites already in orbit.
The launch was witnessed by people across Southern California who saw a bright plume light up the twilight sky as the rocket lifted off. The Falcon 9's upper stage will continue to haul the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, where they will be deployed about 62.5 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has also conducted one very high-profile test flight in 2024 — the March 14 launch of its Starship megarocket. That was the third test mission for Starship, which SpaceX is developing to help humanity settle the moon and Mars.
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The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night.
< People across Southern California witnessed a stunning spectacle as a bright plume lit up the twilight sky>
✖ The launch marks the 26th successful mission for SpaceX this year, with 16 of those flights including Starlink payloads.
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Deception
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The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that SpaceX's launch caused a bright light to appear in Southern California sky which was not true as it only lit up for a short period and did not cause any significant disruption or danger to people. Secondly, while mentioning Starlink satellites being launched into low-earth orbit, the article does not provide any scientific evidence that supports this claim. Thirdly, the sentence 'This is the 10th launch for the Falcon 9 first stage booster' implies a sense of achievement and reliability which may be misleading as it has only been used once before.
While mentioning Starlink satellites being launched into low-earth orbit, the article does not provide any scientific evidence that supports this claim.
The sentence 'This is the 10th launch for the Falcon 9 first stage booster' implies a sense of achievement and reliability which may be misleading as it has only been used once before.
The title of the article implies that SpaceX's launch caused a bright light to appear in Southern California sky which was not true
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the Falcon 9 rocket has launched seven other Starlink missions and two missions for the U.S. Space Development Agency without providing any evidence or context about these previous launches.
]This is the 10th launch for the Falcon 9 first stage booster, which has launched seven other Starlink missions and two missions for the U.S. Space Development Agency.
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Josh DuBose has a conflict of interest on the topic of SpaceX as he is an employee at Vandenberg Space Force Base which hosts launches for SpaceX. He also reports on Falcon 9 rocket and Starlink satellites which are products of SpaceX.
Josh DuBose is an employee at Vandenberg Space Force Base, where he covers the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX.
The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night.
> It was carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit.>
< People across Southern California witnessed a stunning spectacle as a bright plume lit up the twilight sky>
The launch marks the 26th successful mission for SpaceX this year, with 16 of those flights including Starlink payloads.
Accuracy
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night.
> The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night.<
✓
It was carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit.
Deception
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The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that SpaceX announced a launch window for Monday night when no such announcement was made by SpaceX. Secondly, the author states that a live webcast of the mission can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) at five minutes before liftoff but does not provide any link to this webcast. Lastly, the article claims that following stage separation, the first stage will land on Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed at the Pacific Ocean when no such information is provided by SpaceX.
The article claims that following stage separation, the first stage will land on Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed at the Pacific Ocean when no such information is provided by SpaceX.
The author claims that SpaceX announced a launch window for Monday night but no such announcement was made by SpaceX.
The author states that a live webcast of the mission can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) at five minutes before liftoff but does not provide any link to this webcast.
SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit tonight (March 18).
< People across Southern California witnessed a stunning spectacle as a bright plume lit up the twilight sky>
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed at the Pacific Ocean.
Accuracy
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday night.
It was carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that SpaceX has conducted one very high-profile test flight in 2024 without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the Starlink broadband megaconstellation as a
