Elon Musk-led SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on Saturday, February 8, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission, originally scheduled for Friday, was delayed but proceeded smoothly under clear skies on Saturday afternoon.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Pad 30 at 2:18 pm local time. Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the rocket's first stage completed its autonomous return, landing on the drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas', stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the 17th successful launch and landing for this particular booster, which has previously supported 12 other Starlink missions.
SpaceX live-streamed the launch on X, providing breathtaking visuals from cameras mounted on the rocket. Viewers witnessed the fiery ascent, the darkening sky as the rocket climbed further from Earth, and the deployment of satellites in orbit. The stream also captured the dramatic return and landing of the booster on the ocean-based drone ship.
The company live-streams its launches approximately five minutes before liftoff, offering real-time updates to enthusiasts and stakeholders worldwide.
A notable feature of this launch was that 13 of the 21 satellites are equipped with Direct-to-Cell capabilities, designed to provide direct satellite connectivity to mobile devices, enhancing global communication services.
SpaceX has now completed 17 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, with 11 dedicated to Starlink deployments. Since its first launch in 2018, SpaceX has placed approximately 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, each measuring 9.2 feet in length, 4.6 feet in width, and 0.7 feet in thickness. The company aims to expand this network to 42,000 satellites in the coming years, as per reports from Space.com.
SpaceX is now preparing for another major event - a first-stage booster landing off the coast of the Bahamas, scheduled for Monday. SpaceX officials recently met with Bahamian leaders to discuss the upcoming operation.
While SpaceX continues its Starlink expansion, it recently faced a setback with its Starship prototype. On January 16, a Starship upper stage broke apart minutes after launch from Texas, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to reroute due to falling debris.
The spacecraft lost communication eight minutes after liftoff, prompting SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot to confirm an anomaly. Video footage captured bright orange debris streaking across the sky over Haiti, leaving trails of smoke behind.
