SpaceX launches 28 Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from Florida (video)

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida this morning (Sept. 25).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink craft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 4:39 a.m. EDT (0839 GMT).

The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes later as planned, touching down on the SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.

According to a SpaceX mission description, it was the 22nd flight for this booster, which is designated B1080.

The Falcon 9's upper stage continued hauling the 28 Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit, where they deployed 64 minutes after launch.

Previous Booster 1080 missions

Ax-2 | Euclid | Ax-3 | CRS-30 | SES ASTRA 1P | NG-21 | 15 Starlink missions

SpaceX has now launched 122 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, more than 70% of them devoted to building out the huge and ever-growing Starlink megaconstellation.

Starlink — by far the largest satellite network ever assembled — currently consists of more than 8,400 active spacecraft, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

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.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.