SpaceX Falcon 9 Deploys 28 Next-Generation Starlink V2 Mini Satellites

SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to Cape Canaveral to launch 28 next generation Starlink internet satellites, dubbed V2 Mini, into low earth orbit. When the Falcon 9 completed its mission, the first stage returned to earth in a smooth landing on the company drone ship, A Shortfall of Gravitas into the Atlantic Ocean. In 2025, this was the 119th SpaceX flight of Falcon 9 mission, dubbed Starlink 10-27.

Dawn Launch of Starlink 10-27

According to launch details, the Falcon 9 launched into the air at the Space Coast of Florida at 6.53 a.m. EDT and under bright early morning skies. It flew north-eastwards in the Starlink 10-27 operation, with 28 next-generation broadband satellites of the V2 Mini type into orbit. According to SpaceX, they were launched off the upper stage of the rocket some 64 minutes after launch. Rocket observers on the East Coast described the sky just before daybreak as a jellyfish-like cloud effect which was produced because sunlight was shining on the exhaust release of the Falcon 9 in high altitude.

Booster Reuse and Starlink Constellation Growth

SpaceX's reusable Falcon strategy was on display: the rocket's first-stage booster (B1085) was flying for the 11th time. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1085 landed on the company's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This was the booster's 125th touchdown on that ship and 508th landing overall. This Starlink 10-27 flight was part of an extraordinarily busy year: by mid-September 2025, SpaceX had flown 115 Falcon 9 missions and recorded its 300th Starlink launch earlier in the month. The Starlink network now spans over 8,000 satellites in orbit.