SpaceX kicked off a busy weekend with the launch of a batch of Starlink satellites this night (Could 23) from California, the primary of as much as three potential Starlink launches between Friday and Sunday.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX‘s Starlink 11-16 mission from Vandenberg House Pressure Base at present at 4:36 p.m. EDT (1:36 p.m. native time; 2036 GMT).
The stack of 23 Starlink satellites started their journey into low Earth orbit (LEO) aboard a Falcon 9 first-stage booster designated B1075. This was the 18th launch of B1075, which has supported 14 earlier Starlink missions.
The 9 Merlin engines on the enterprise finish of B1075 reduce off roughly 2.5 minutes into flight, adopted in brief order by the separation of the booster from the rocket’s higher stage.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster landed safely on SpaceX’s Of Course I Nonetheless Love You drone ship, stationed within the Pacific Ocean. This was the 450th profitable touchdown of a Falcon 9 rocket, in line with SpaceX.
Falcon lands for the 450th time! pic.twitter.com/zoZdVHulSpCould 23, 2025
The rocket’s higher stage continued towards LEO with the 23 Starlink satellites, the place they had been launched from the rocket’s payload adapter about one hour into flight. Every satellite tv for pc will maneuver into extra particular orbits to inside the Starlink megaconstellation over the subsequent few days.
SpaceX’s Starlink community consists of greater than 7,000 operational satellites and counting. As a complete, they function in a lattice that gives a blanket of protection to just about the entire planet. Starlink affords customers a high-speed web connection from wherever clients are in a position to level their Starlink receiver towards the sky (aside from the poles).
Tonight’s launch was SpaceX’s 61st Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and 63rd liftoff to this point this 12 months. The opposite two missions concerned Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket. SpaceX introduced Friday the subsequent check flight of Starship will happen Tuesday, Could 27.
