🛰️ SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9’s 490th Mission from Florida

Cape Canaveral, June 13, 2025 — SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit today aboard its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff occurred at 11:21 a.m. EDT (15:21 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the 490th flight of a Falcon 9 and another key milestone in the expansion of the Starlink satellite constellation. The booster used for today’s mission, core B1078, flew for the 21st time, having previously supported high-profile missions like NASA’s Crew-6 and USSF-124. About eight minutes after liftoff, it successfully landed on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean—its 113th recovery and SpaceX’s 462nd booster landing to date. The mission, designated Starlink 12-26, carried 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, designed to enable smartphone connectivity in areas without ground coverage. With this launch, 661 DTC satellites have now reached orbit, 273 of which were launched in 2025 alone. Weather conditions were 85% favorable at the start of the four-hour launch window, though forecasts noted a drop in favorability to 60% later in the day due to onshore showers and Saharan dust moving through Florida's coast. SpaceX provided live coverage via Spaceflight Now, offering real-time updates, visuals from the launch pad, and booster tracking during the mission. This successful launch highlights SpaceX’s continued momentum in expanding its global satellite internet network while demonstrating the reusability and reliability of its Falcon 9 system.