SpaceX successfully launched another batch of 28 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, marking the company's 130th overall flight of the year.
The mission, often designated as a Starlink Group launch (e.g., Starlink Group 10-52 or similar), lifted off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch time, according to sources, was early morning, for example, 5:57 a.m. EDT (0957 GMT) on October 16, 2025 (note: other launches of 28 Starlink satellites have also been designated the 130th flight in the preceding days/weeks, indicating a high launch cadence).
Key Mission Details:
Payload: 28 Starlink internet satellites. These satellites are part of SpaceX's rapidly expanding low-Earth orbit (LEO) megaconstellation designed to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet access globally.
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.
Booster Reuse: The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket used for this mission was a flight-proven booster, likely making its third flight (such as booster B1095 for the October 16 launch) or a similar high-cadence reuse.
Booster Landing: Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 successfully returned to Earth, performing a propulsive landing on a floating drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, such as "Just Read The Instructions."
Deployment: The Falcon 9's upper stage continued to propel the Starlink satellites to LEO, where they were successfully deployed about an hour after launch.
Significance of the 130th Launch:
This mission underscores SpaceX's unprecedented launch cadence in 2025. Achieving the 130th overall launch (which includes Falcon 9 and Starship flights) in less than ten months places the company extremely close to breaking its own single-year launch record, which was set at 134 in the previous year (2024).
The majority of these flights—over 70%—have been dedicated to deploying new satellites for the Starlink constellation, rapidly building out the network, which now comprises nearly 8,600 operational satellites circling the Earth. This relentless pace of launches is central to SpaceX's business model, relying on the reusability of the Falcon 9 booster to lower launch costs and enable extremely frequent missions.