SpaceX launches latest Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX knocked out another Starlink launch from Space Coast on Wednesday afternoon.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 of the company’s internet satellites lifted off at 12:38 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.
The first-stage booster for the mission made its fourth flight making another recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 28 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida https://t.co/PUxxJ5JjSd
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 14, 2025
The launch was the 42nd orbital mission from the Space Coast in 2025 with all but two coming from SpaceX. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station also was the launch site for a hypersonic missile test this year for the Army.
The other two orbital launches were from Blue Origin with the debut of its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket back in January, and United Launch Alliance with an Atlas V launch last month.
Blue Origin has yet to announce a date it might try for a second launch, but had stated earlier this year it would be in the spring. ULA has several more missions on tap this year including a potential second Atlas V launch in early June to fly up the second batch of customer Amazon’s satellites for its Project Kuiper internet constellation, a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink. Amazon’s first batch on the April launch totaled 27, but the company has lined up more than 80 more launches to grow that number.
Project Kuiper’s constellation aims tot total more than 3,600 satellites by 2028. SpaceX’s Starlink, which already has had more than 8,500 satellites launched since 2019, has nearly 6,700 that remain operational in orbit, according to statistics maintained by astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
SpaceX has now launched Falcon 9 on 475 missions, 58 of which come this year among its three pads in Florida and California. The company is on track still to best the 134 launches it performed among Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets in 2024 across all launch sites.
This was the 415th time SpaceX has used a previously flown booster. The fleet leader took off and landed on its 28th mission earlier this week.