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SpaceX launches Starlink satellites to orbit on 70th Falcon 9 flight of the year (photos)

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SpaceX is keeping up its breakneck launch pace in 2025.

two side-by-side photos taken from orbit. at left, a rocket returns to earth for a landing. At left, a rocket engine nozzle glows orange-got with the curve of earth in the background
At left, the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to Earth shortly after launching 26 of the company’s Starlink satellites on June 8, 2025. At right, the rocket’s upper-stage engine powers the satellites to their desired orbit. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The year isn't even half over yet, and SpaceX already has 70 orbital missions in the books.

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 26 of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday (June 8) at 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420 GMT; 7:20 a.m. local California time).

It was SpaceX's 70th Falcon 9 launch of 2025. Fifty-two of those flights have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO), the biggest satellite network ever assembled.

A black and white spacex falcon 9 rocket first stage sits on the deck of a ship at sea.

The Falcon 9's first stage rests on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching 26 of the company’s Starlink satellites on June 8. (Image credit: SpaceX)

About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's first stage landed on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. It was the seventh launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.

The rocket's upper stage continued carrying the 26 Starlink satellites to LEO, deploying them as planned about an hour after liftoff. The newly launched spacecraft will now maneuver their way to join the megaconstellation, which consists of nearly 7,700 operational satellites (and counting).

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— SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk's private spaceflight company

— Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy

— SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit on record-breaking 28th flight (video)

SpaceX has certainly been busy so far in 2025, but it's still 100 launches away from its goal: Company representatives have said they aim to fly 170 orbital missions this year.

The 70-launch tally does not include the three missions of SpaceX's Starlink megarocket that have taken place in 2025. Those suborbital test flights lifted off in January, March and late May.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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