‍ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully deployed 28 Starlink⁣ satellites into ‍orbit on ‍Friday afternoon before returning too earth. The booster separated adn landed as planned.

The launch took place at 1:41 p.m. PDT ‍from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.The Falcon⁣ 9 booster landed on‍ the deck of the drone ship Of Course I ⁣Still ⁢Love You in the Pacific Ocean, according to Space.com.

Mission Details and Booster History

⁤ ‍ This marked the 100th Starlink launch in 2025 and the 139th⁣ Falcon 9 mission overall this⁣ year. The booster used, tail number B1063,‍ has now flown 29 times, putting it⁢ just two launches ⁢shy of the Falcon 9 record of ⁣31 launches, Spaceflight‍ Now reported.

⁣ B1063 is the oldest Falcon 9 booster ‍still in service, having first launched on November 21, 2020.
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This triumphant⁣ landing was the 162nd for the Of Course I ⁤Still Love You ‍drone ship and the 527th overall for ‍SpaceX.
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Deployment and Starlink Constellation

⁣ The launch was originally scheduled for the previous day but was postponed due to technical⁢ issues. The ⁢Starlink satellites were deployed ⁣into low ⁢Earth orbit approximately one hour after ⁢liftoff, adding to the growing Starlink mega-constellation.

As of Friday, ⁤there are more than 8,800 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, with SpaceX having deployed over 2,500 in 2025 ⁢alone.

‍ SpaceX has eight additional launches planned before Thanksgiving to deploy another 228 satellites.
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