Falcon 9 Launches 28 Starlink Satellites, Scores Droneship Landing for 23rd Time

SpaceX added to its growing Starlink mega-constellation with a launch to orbit and booster recovery. A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex-40 at 9:52 p.m. EDT (0152 GMT on April 25), carrying 28 new satellites into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft were stacked vertically inside the rocket's nose cone, where they sat on the Falcon 9's nine first-stage Merlin engine stack that blasted them into the sky over Florida's Space Coast.

Falcon 9 Booster Lands on Droneship as 28 Starlink Satellites Reach Orbit

According to a SpaceX mission update, the Falcon 9's first stage, booster B1069, separated from the upper stage about 2.5 minutes after launch. Roughly six minutes later, it executed a precise landing on the autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the 23rd successful flight for B1069 and the 19th time it supported a Starlink mission. The rocket's second stage continued on its course, deploying the 28 satellites into low Earth orbit one hour into the mission.

These satellites come as new additions to the mission (Starlink 6-74), which is now amplifying an extensive network of no less than 7000+ operational units established in orbit. Starlink's gates are inching open, as each new flight strengthens global service, and the company aims to beam high-speed internet to nearly every location on Earth, except the polar region. In the days to come, the new arrivals will gradually drift into their assigned orbital slots.

SpaceX Marks 47th Falcon 9 Launch, Expands Global Starlink Coverage

SpaceX is still maintaining a breakneck launch tempo for 2025, with Thursday's flight being the 47th Falcon 9 mission of the year and the 30th carrying Starlink satellites only. The timeline reflects the firm's determination to broaden satellite broadband deployment, particularly to rural and poorly served parts of the world. Each new batch enhances service reliability and builds resilience into the constellation's structure.

The Starlink program continues to reshape global internet accessibility, backed by the Falcon 9's proven reusability and precision recovery. As they tick off their successful booster landing and payload deployment, SpaceX continues to redefine both space travel logistics and satellite-powered access on Earth.