Falcon 9 Launches 29 Starlink Satellites from Florida’s Space Coast

At 3:10 a.m. EST on November 9, 2025, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Florida’s Space Coast, carrying 29 new Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit. The mission marked another milestone in the rapid-fire pace of commercial launches that are becoming the new normal.

The rocket’s first stage, booster B1069, returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, achieving a pinpoint landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the upper stage continued on to deploy the satellites into low-Earth orbit, adding to a constellation that already counts thousands of units. 

Why does this matter? For one, each batch of Starlink satellites expands global broadband coverage, bringing high-speed internet to places that have long been underserved. The sheer number—29 at once—is significant, and the fact that this was the 143rd Falcon 9 launch of the year underlines how space is shifting from rare spectacle to infrastructure. 

Beyond connectivity, the mission highlights how reusable-rocket technology is maturing. Booster B1069’s landing and reuse show that what once seemed experimental is now operational. The reliability and turnaround are crucial for lowering costs and accelerating deployment schedules.

Of course, challenges remain. The launch schedule is still vulnerable to weather delays (this mission followed a scrub attempt due to recovery-zone conditions). And as more satellites fill low-Earth orbit, issues such as space-debris management, orbital congestion, and long-term sustainability grow more urgent.

In the end, this mission isn’t just about 29 more satellites—though they’ll matter for end-users. It’s also a pointer to how commercial space is evolving: high cadence, reusable hardware, global networks, and the normalization of launches. As that Falcon 9 roared into the predawn sky over Florida, it felt less like a one-off landmark and more like a piece of a bigger system — one that’s quietly re-shaping how we connect, see, and use space.