SpaceX sends 24 Starlink satellites into orbit on 100th Falcon 9 launch of the year

SpaceX sent another batch of its Starlink broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit today (Aug. 18), atop a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

the first stage of a rocket stands on its four legs atop a sea-based drone ship after landing from space — The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on its four landing legs after touching down on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Previous Booster 1088 missions

This launch marked the ninth flight for the Falcon 9's first stage (Booster 1088). It successfully landed again on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean.

With the 24 new satellites, SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation now totals more than 8,100 active units, providing global coverage for the company's clients. In total, over 9,400 Starlink satellites have been launched since 2018.

Monday's launch was SpaceX's 528th completed mission, 489th landing and 454th reflight of a Falcon 9 first stage.

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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