SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida (photos)

On August 11, SpaceX launched another group of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket carried 29 of these broadband spacecraft into low Earth orbit (LEO). The first stage of the rocket touched down on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, marking the 18th flight for this specific booster, known as B1085.

While a majority of B1085's missions have been Starlink flights, it has also supported crewed astronaut missions. The booster played a role in SpaceX's Crew-9 flight to the International Space Station in September 2024 and the Fram2 mission that orbited Earth's poles six months later.

Following the Starlink satellites' deployment 64 minutes after launch, B1085 completed its mission. This launch was SpaceX's 93rd Falcon 9 flight of the year, with 72 of those dedicated to expanding the Starlink constellation, currently numbering over 10,900 active satellites. SpaceX's long-term plans include deploying 100,000 Starlink V3 satellites and a million AI data center satellites in Earth orbit, as stated by Elon Musk.