SpaceX has reached a major milestone with the successful launch of the Starlink 15-1 mission, pushing the total number of Starlink satellites deployed past 8,000. The mission, which carried 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, was the first of two planned Starlink flights over the weekend.
Falcon 9 lifting off Credit: SpaceX
Liftoff took place at 5:38 p.m. PST (8:38 p.m. EST, 0138 UTC) on Saturday from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission utilized the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1082, making its 11th flight. This booster had previously supported missions such as USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20, and eight prior Starlink launches.
Approximately eight minutes after launch, B1082 successfully landed on the SpaceX droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the 121st landing for OCISLY and SpaceX’s 412th booster recovery overall, further demonstrating the company's leadership in rocket reusability.
With this latest deployment, SpaceX has now launched 376 Starlink satellites in 2025 alone, according to astronomer and orbital tracker Jonathan McDowell. His data indicates that as of February 21, there are 7,078 Starlink satellites still operational in orbit.
The 22 newly launched satellites were placed into a 70-degree inclination, a trajectory first used for Starlink satellites on September 13, 2021, during the Starlink 2-1 mission. In total, eight missions have been conducted under Starlink Group 2, with the most recent before this being Starlink 2-10 on May 31, 2023.
In addition, all missions launched for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in support of its proliferated architecture have also followed a 70-degree inclination. These missions are believed to carry Starshield satellites, a government-adapted version of Starlink, developed by SpaceX in collaboration with Northrop Grumman. The NROL-126 mission, launched on November 30, 2024, included 20 Starlink satellites alongside its classified payload.
SpaceX has not confirmed whether the Starlink 15-1 mission included Starshield satellites or replacements for previously deorbited units. McDowell’s data reveals that out of the 408 Starlink V1.5 satellites launched as part of Group 2, 12 have since been deorbited.
This latest launch reaffirms SpaceX’s dominance in satellite deployment, further expanding its global broadband coverage and maintaining its momentum in advancing space-based internet services.
Add comment
Comments