SpaceX to launch 100th Falcon 9 rocket in 2025

On October 31, SpaceX carried out the anniversary launch of Starlink satellites, the 100th in 2025. The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and launched 28 more satellites into low-Earth orbit.

What is known

This is the 138th launch of the Falcon 9 this year, of which 99 were dedicated exclusively to the expansion of Starlink – the largest satellite system in history. In total, SpaceX has launched more than 10,000 satellites into orbit, and about 8,800 of them are still active.

The first stage of the rocket returned to Earth 8.5 minutes after launch and successfully landed on an unmanned ship in the Pacific Ocean. For the stage with the tail number 1063, this was the 29th flight. Previously, the maximum number of relaunches was 31.

Earlier, SpaceX officially introduced a new generation of Starlink V3 satellites, promising gigabit connectivity and record data transfer speeds of up to 60 terabits per second across the entire network.

According to the company, each Starship launch will significantly increase the system’s throughput compared to the current V2 Mini satellites operating in orbit.

The Starlink V3 presentation took place on October 13 during the 11th test flight of the Starship spacecraft, which will now act as the main carrier for launching satellites into orbit. Unlike the Falcon 9, the new system will allow delivering up to 60 devices in one launch.

The new satellites have become significantly larger and heavier – up to 2 tons each. For comparison, the V2 Mini weighs about 600 kg, and the first generation V1 – only 300 kg. Each Starlink V3 satellite will have a bandwidth of 1 Tbit/s and will be able to receive data at speeds of up to 200 Gbit/s, which is approximately 20 times higher than the V2 Mini.

The first launch of the V3 satellites is expected in early 2026. This will be an important step towards realizing Elon Musk’s vision of creating a global broadband Internet that will reach even the most remote corners of the planet.