USA TODAY NETWORK Starlink satellites are operated and launched into orbit by SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology. The first Starlink mission to launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California occurred in September 2021. While Florida is ideal for equatorial launches, California's location is better for orbital deliveries at a southern trajectory that are capable of achieving a polar orbit. Californians may have noticed that an awful lot of SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets have been soaring high in the sky of late. If you've found yourself wondering what all these rocket launches are about, there's one type of mission that has far and away dominated the spaceflights that get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. Starlink deployments. SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has steadily sought to increase the number of Starlink missions launching from Vandenberg, located in Santa Barbara County off the California coast. But why are Musk and SpaceX interested in West Coast launches when Starlink satellites have reliably been transported to orbit for even longer from Florida? Here's everything to know about Starlink, SpaceX's plans for California rocket launches and why West Coast orbital deliveries are beneficial to Musk's company. What is Starlink? Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world – including contracts with the military. SpaceX, which Musk – the world's richest man – founded in 2002, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California. While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles high, Starlink operates from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That altitude allows Starlink's satellites to not only circle Earth fairly quickly, but have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls. How much does Starlink cost? Residential plans for Starlink services start at $80 per month. When was the first Starlink mission from California? Starlink satellites are operated and launched into orbit by SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology. That rocket? The two-stage, 230-foot Falcon 9 – one of the world's most active. While SpaceX has been providing launch services in California since 2013, the first Starlink mission to launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred in September 2021, a Space Launch Delta 30 spokesperson told the USA TODAY Network. Space Launch Delta 30 is a unit of the U.S. Space Force that is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg.