SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from California

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Thursday (Dec. 4), sending 28 of them up from California's central coast.

a rocket rests on the deck of a ship at sea — The Falcon 9's first stage landed safely on a ship at sea on Dec. 4, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Previous Booster 1097 missions

Sentinel-6B | 2 Starlink flights

The Falcon 9's upper stage continued carrying the 28 Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit, where they will be deployed about an hour after liftoff, if all goes to plan.

They'll join a megaconstellation that's by far the largest ever assembled. SpaceX currently operates more than 9,000 Starlink satellites and has launched more than 10,000 of them over the past 6.5 years.

Today's launch was the 156th Falcon 9 liftoff of 2025, extending SpaceX's single-year record. More than 70% of them have been Starlink missions.

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.

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