SpaceX sends 28 more Starlink satellites into orbit on Falcon 9 flight from Florida

Twenty-eight more Starlink satellites are now circling the planet after a Falcon 9 launch from Florida this morning (Aug. 14).

The SpaceX booster lifted off at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT) on Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. One hour and 4 minutes later, the broadband internet relays (Group 10-20) were deployed into low Earth orbit.

"Deployment of 28 Starlink satellites confirmed," confirmed SpaceX on the social media network X.

the first stage of an orbital rocket stands on four legs atop an ocean-based platform after landing from space — The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on its four deployed legs atop the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" after its launch and landing on Aug. 14, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Previous Booster 1085 missions:

As to plan, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage (Booster 1085) completed its 10th flight, Firing one of its nine Merlin engines, the stage descended to a landing on its four deployed legs atop the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The launch was the second Starlink mission within 12 hours after a the deployment of 24 satellites by a Falcon 9 sent skyward from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California at 1:05 a.m. EDT (0505 GMT or 10:05 p.m. PDT on Aug. 13 local). SpaceX now has more than 8,100 active Starlink satellites in its megaconstellation.

The launch from Florida was SpaceX's 99th Falcon 9 mission in 2025 and 517th since 2010. It was the 453rd reuse of a Falcon first stage and 488th landing.

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Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.

In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world.

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