SpaceX hits 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit and matches yearly launch record

SpaceX reached two major milestones on October 19 with a single Falcon 9 launch from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The rocket lifted off at 12:24 p.m. local time (3:24 p.m. EDT, 1924 GMT), carrying 28 Starlink internet satellites. Among them was the 10,000th Starlink satellite to reach orbit, a key moment in SpaceX’s effort to expand its global broadband network.

The launch also marked SpaceX’s 132nd Falcon 9 flight of 2025, equaling last year’s record with more than two months left in the year. About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage — flying for the 11th time — landed on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific Ocean. The upper stage deployed the satellites about an hour later as planned.

Falcon

9 completes a double-header launch day, taking 56 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida and California pic.twitter.com/SGC8Jf3Sle

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 19, 2025

Earlier the same day, another Falcon 9 launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT), also carrying 28 Starlink satellites. That mission set a reuse record when its first-stage booster, numbered 1067, completed its 31st flight and landed on the droneship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX confirmed both launches on social media, noting that more than 10,000 Starlink satellites have now been deployed. The Starlink network, which began in 2018 with two prototype satellites named Tintin A and Tintin B, currently serves millions of users worldwide.

According to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, 8,608 Starlink satellites remain operational, while most of the retired ones have been deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. Each satellite typically operates for about five years.

SpaceX continues to expand the Starlink constellation at a rapid pace. The company launched 89 Starlink missions in 2024 and has already surpassed that number this year. It has approval to deploy up to 12,000 satellites and plans to eventually expand the network to more than 30,000.

The October 19 mission was the 55th rocket launch from Vandenberg in 2025 and the 50th Falcon 9 flight from the site. SpaceX expects two more Falcon 9 launches from the West Coast this week, depending on weather and operational conditions.