SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from Florida on 15th launch of 2025 (video) – Space.com
Liftoff occurred at 5:14 a.m. EST (1014 GMT).
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SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida’s Space Coast early this morning (Feb. 4).A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 5:14 a.m. EST (1014 GMT).The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff, touching down in the Atlantic Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship “Just Read the Instructions.”It was the 21st launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Seventeen of its 21 flights have been Starlink missions.The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, will deploy the 21 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65 minutes after liftoff.Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky— SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company— Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy— SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches on record-breaking 24th flight (video)SpaceX has now launched 15 Falcon 9 missions so far in 2025. Ten of them have been Starlink flights.Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Last year, the company launched more than 130 Falcon 9 flights, about two-thirds of them devoted to building out the Starlink network, the biggest satellite constellation ever assembled. SpaceX currently operates nearly 7,000 Starlink satellites in LEO, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:32 a.m. EDT on Feb. 4 with the news of a successful launch and rocket landing.Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, “Out There,” was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.Blue Origin mimics moon gravity on 1st-of-its-kind New Shepard research rocket launch (video)Blue Origin to launch New Shepard moon-gravity mission on Feb. 4 after glitchVIPER back from the dead? NASA asks US companies to partner on ice-hunting moon rover
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