Image: SpaceX
On Sunday morning, SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites, continuing its rapid expansion of the satellite internet constellation. At 7:49 a.m. ET/4:49 a.m. PT, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
This launch came just a day after SpaceX sent 24 Starlink satellites into orbit from California, bringing the weekend’s total to 52 new internet-beaming satellites.
Following stage separation on Sunday’s mission, the Falcon 9 first stage landed 8 minutes and 22 seconds later on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Starlink satellite deployment was confirmed a little over an hour after liftoff, at the 1:04:00 mark.
Impressively, this mission marked the 23rd flight for the Falcon 9 booster used, which has now supported high-profile missions including Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and now 16 Starlink launches.
The back-to-back launches highlight SpaceX’s aggressive pace in scaling its Starlink network. Earlier this week, the company announced it had surpassed 7 million users worldwide across 150 countries, underscoring the growing demand for satellite-based internet.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s broader ambitions also took a step forward recently with Starship’s 10th test flight. The massive rocket successfully completed its first mock deployment of next-generation Starlink V3 satellites in a “Pez dispenser” fashion, signaling how future Starship launches could dramatically increase deployment capacity.
Watch Sunday’s Starlink satellite launch in the video below:
With consistent Falcon 9 launches and Starship now proving out key satellite deployment capabilities, SpaceX is rapidly strengthening both its orbital network and its global user base.
