Citing its Star Wars-named model, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) on Sunday, May 4, 2025, in a mission that is being feted globally as Star Wars Day.
The mission lifted off at 4:54 a.m. EDT (0854 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9’s first stage made a precise landing on SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the booster’s incredible 20th launch and recovery, according to the mission briefing by SpaceX.
This mission was a new record for Starlink payloads launched by Falcon 9, with the highest payload of 29 satellites to date. SpaceX has now launched almost 8,500 Starlink satellites, of which over 7,300 are still operational in LEO, satellite expert Jonathan McDowell says.
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