By Mike Wall, published October 18, 2025
SpaceX is set to achieve a major round-number milestone today (Oct. 18), and the public can watch the event live.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites is scheduled to launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is slated to occur during a four-hour window that opens at 7:46 p.m. EDT (2346 GMT; 4:46 p.m. local California time).
According to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, SpaceX has lofted a total of 9,988 Starlink satellites to date. Therefore, this launch will push that number past the 10,000 mark.
The launch will be broadcast live via the company's website or its X (formerly Twitter) account.
The Starlink Megaconstellation
SpaceX launched its first two Starlink prototypes into low Earth orbit (LEO) in February 2018, and began building the full megaconstellation in earnest 15 months later. The company began offering Starlink service with a public beta test in October 2020, followed by a commercial rollout the following year.
Starlink now provides internet service to millions of customers across the globe. SpaceX is continuously bolstering the product by sending more satellites into space. The pace of launches has been extraordinary in recent times: SpaceX launched 89 Starlink missions in 2024 and has already exceeded that number in 2025. This rapid expansion is not expected to stop soon, as SpaceX already has permission to loft 12,000 Starlink satellites, and the megaconstellation could eventually grow to consist of more than 30,000 spacecraft.
Most of the 9,988 Starlink satellites launched so far remain active, with 8,610 currently operational, according to McDowell. Most of the other satellites have been deorbited, guided down to burn up in Earth's atmosphere, as each Starlink satellite has an operational life of approximately five years.
Mission Details
If all proceeds according to plan:
The Falcon 9's first stage booster (designated Booster 1088) will return to Earth approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship, "Of Course I Still Love You." This will mark the 11th launch and touchdown for this particular booster.
The rocket's upper stage will continue its journey, carrying the 28 Starlink satellites to LEO, where they are expected to be deployed about 60 minutes after launch.