SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 with 28 Starlink Satellites
Lead: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, deploying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low-Earth orbit and marking the 45th booster landing attempt via drone ship Just Read the Instructions.
Nut Graf: The mission, part of SpaceX’s ongoing effort to expand global broadband coverage, underscores the company’s rapid launch cadence and reusability milestones, with Falcon 9 booster B1092 making its seventh flight and targeting a safe return to sea.
Launch Overview
- Rocket & Payload: Falcon 9 Block 5 carrying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites
- Launch Time & Date: 5:30 a.m. EDT (09:30 UTC), Sept. 18, 2025
- Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
- Booster: B1092 on its seventh mission, aiming for drone-ship landing
Mission Objectives
- Satellite Deployment: Expand Starlink internet constellation to enhance global coverage and network resilience.
- Reusability Test: Demonstrate rapid turnaround and reliability by recovering the first stage on ‘Just Read the Instructions’ drone ship.
- Operational Cadence: Mark the 84th Starlink launch of 2025, sustaining an aggressive monthly launch tempo.
Flight Conditions & Recovery
Weather officers forecasted a 65 percent chance of favorable conditions, noting isolated cumulus clouds could pose risk but were unlikely to ground the mission. Approximately 8.5 minutes post-liftoff, Falcon 9’s first stage separated for a pinpoint landing on drone ship Just Read the Instructions, aiming to record the 136th touchdown for this vessel and the 506th overall booster landing.
Other Notable Launches Today
- Blue Origin New Shepard NS-35: Suborbital flight from Launch Site One, West Texas, at 1:00 p.m. UTC carrying over 40 research payloads, including NASA’s TechRise experiments.
- SpaceX Polar Starlink Mission: Falcon 9 at Vandenberg SFB, California, launching 24 V2 Mini satellites at 3:43 p.m. UTC in a polar orbit for expanded high-latitude internet service.
Upcoming Flights
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-27 from CCSFS on Sept. 21 at 09:20 UTC
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-48 for national reconnaissance at Vandenberg SFB on Sept. 21 at 17:37 UTC
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