Florida: The American aerospace giant confirmed the successful deployment of the satellites, which are designed to provide direct-to-device cell connectivity in remote and underserved regions. With this latest launch, the Starlink constellation now boasts more than 7,600 active satellites.

The mission also marked a textbook return for the Falcon 9’s first stage, which landed on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean just over an hour after liftoff—an increasingly routine feat in SpaceX’s reusable rocket operations.

So far in 2025, SpaceX has carried out 38 Falcon 9 launches, with nearly two-thirds dedicated to expanding the Starlink network. The company aims to use this growing constellation to enable direct connection capabilities for select smartphones and telecom networks, offering satellite-based service where traditional cell towers fall short.