Washington (Foreign Correspondent): Elon Musk-led SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, February 8. The mission was earlier scheduled for Friday but was postponed due to some technical reasons. The mission was successfully completed under clear skies on Saturday afternoon.
Successful flight of Falcon 9 rocket
At 2:18 pm local time, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from pad 30. The first stage of the rocket made a safe landing on the drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ stationed in the Atlantic Ocean about 8.5 minutes later. This was the 17th successful landing for the booster, which had previously been part of 12 other Starlink missions. The autonomous return of the rocket and booster is considered a technical feat, which is part of SpaceX’s successful launch program.
Live-stream and audience experience
SpaceX showed breathtaking visuals from cameras mounted on the rocket during the launch. During the live-stream on X (formerly Twitter), viewers saw the rocket climbing away from Earth as well as the deployment of satellites in orbit. In addition, the dramatic return and landing of the booster on a drone ship stationed at sea was also captured on camera.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 21 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities https://t.co/CCBolEhazJ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 8, 2025
Features of Starlink satellites
21 Starlink satellites were launched in this mission, out of which 13 satellites have direct-to-cell connectivity capability. It is designed to provide connectivity to mobile devices directly from the satellite, thereby enhancing global communication services. Thus, internet services will be made available in rural and remote areas through the Starlink network.
SpaceX expansion and future missions
So far in 2025, SpaceX has completed 17 Falcon 9 missions, out of which 11 missions are dedicated to expanding the Starlink network. Since its first launch in 2018, SpaceX has sent nearly 7,000 Starlink satellites into orbit. The company aims to expand this network to 42,000 satellites in the coming years.
Upcoming missions and challenges
SpaceX is now preparing for another major event. On Monday, a first-stage booster is scheduled to land off the coast of the Bahamas. SpaceX officials have recently met Bahamian leaders in this regard. However, there have been some challenges for SpaceX as well. In January, the company suffered a major setback with its Starship prototype. The upper stage of the Starship broke apart minutes after launch from Texas, forcing airline flights to be rerouted over the Gulf of Mexico due to falling debris. These events have come as a tough challenge for SpaceX, but despite this, the company has continued to expand its Starlink network and plans to send more satellites into orbit in the coming years.
