On a calm Sunday night, SpaceX added another proud moment. The company launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried 23 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff happened at exactly 10:09 p.m. EDT on April 27.
First Stage Booster Achieves 20th Successful Landing
The launch included 13 satellites with direct-to-cell communication features. SpaceX confirmed it was their 250th Starlink launch milestone on X. About eight minutes later, the Falcon 9's first stage returned. It made a vertical landing on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions." The ship was stationed safely in the Atlantic Ocean for recovery.
The first stage booster completed its 20th liftoff and landing. SpaceX said 13 of those flights supported Starlink missions. The rocket’s upper stage successfully deployed all 23 satellites in orbit. This happened around one hour after the Falcon 9's liftoff.
Starlink Network Keeps Growing Stronger Every Year
Sunday's launch marked the 48th Falcon 9 flight in 2025. It was the 31st flight dedicated to expanding the Starlink megaconstellation. SpaceX now operates more than 7,200 active Starlink satellites in orbit.
The Starlink programme began with a dedicated launch in May 2019. SpaceX had earlier launched two prototype satellites in February 2018. Over six years, the company lofted almost 8,400 Starlink satellites. These numbers were confirmed by astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
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