16.05.2025

SpaceX launches 1,000th Starlink satellite of the year during Friday morning mission

Starlink 15-5 lifts off on May 16, 2025 in foggy conditions at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Image: SpaceX.

SpaceX launched another batch of 26 Starlink satellites from California after sunrise Friday morning. With this mission, the company has now launched more than 1,000 of its broadband internet satellites this year.

Liftoff of the Starlink 15-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 6:43 a.m. PDT (9:43 a.m. EDT, 1343 UTC). This was the 20th orbital launch from California this year. A wildfire on the base, north of the pad, which was contained after spreading across 27 acres, did not affect the launch.

Falcon 9 first stage booster B1093 flew the mission on its second flight after first launching from Vandenberg 39 days ago on the Starlink 11-11 mission.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1093 touched down on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 130th landing on that vessel and the 448th booster landing to date.

SpaceX confirmed a successful separation of the 26 optimized Starlink satellites just over an hour after launch.

Quelle: SN