Less than a day after its last batch reached low Earth orbit, SpaceX again added to its Starlink megaconstellation on Friday (June 13).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of the broadband internet satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT (1529 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The launch proceeded to plan, with the Falcon 9’s first stage (the booster designated B1078) completing its 21st flight. Deploying its four landing legs, the stage touched down on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon’s second or upper stage continued firing and was on track to deploy the new Starlink satellites (known as Group 12-26) an hour and five minutes after leaving the ground. Once in place, the spacecraft will become part of the space-based network, now totaling more than 7,600 units.
The direct-to-cell-capable satellites enable certain smart phones and select service providers’ networks to access the Starlink constellation directly, especially in places where ground-based coverage is not available.
SpaceX has now launched 73 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, of which 55 have been in support of the Starlink service. Friday’s mission followed a Starlink launch on Thursday evening from California, which marked the 500th overall completed Falcon mission.