SpaceX marked a major milestone in 2025 by launching its 100th Falcon 9 mission of the year, sending 24 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:26 p.m. EDT on August 18 (9:56 p.m. IST). The Falcon 9 rocket, using its first stage Booster 1088 for the ninth time, successfully reached preliminary orbit within nine minutes and deployed the satellites roughly 50 minutes later. This addition expands SpaceX’s Starlink constellation to over 8,100 active units, further enhancing global internet coverage for its clients and reaffirming the company’s record-setting pace of reusable rocket operations.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster 1088 achieves ninth successful flight
Booster 1088 has become one of SpaceX’s most reliable reusable rockets, completing its ninth mission during this launch. After deploying the Starlink satellites, the first stage safely returned and landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean. This milestone underscores SpaceX’s continuing success in reusability, with the company completing its 489th Falcon 9 landing and 454th reflight overall. The ability to reuse boosters reduces launch costs and accelerates the company’s ambitious schedule of missions, including both Starlink deployments and other commercial, government, and scientific launches.
Starlink constellation surpasses 8,100 active satellites
With this launch, SpaceX’s Starlink network now comprises more than 8,100 active satellites, providing near-global broadband coverage. Since the first launch in 2018, over 9,400 Starlink satellites have been deployed. This rapid expansion allows SpaceX to serve underserved regions, support remote communities, and provide critical connectivity in disaster zones. The new satellites will strengthen network capacity, improve connection speeds, and reduce latency, helping Starlink maintain its position as the largest satellite internet provider worldwide.
Significance of the 100th Falcon 9 flight of 2025
Reaching 100 Falcon 9 launches in a single year is a historic achievement for SpaceX, highlighting the company’s unmatched launch cadence and operational efficiency. Combined with three suborbital Starship test flights, this marks a total of 103 missions for the year. SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of rocket reusability, cost reduction, and satellite deployment, setting new benchmarks for the global aerospace industry and paving the way for future exploration and connectivity projects.