SpaceX reached a significant operational milestone on August 18, 2025, successfully executing its 100th Falcon 9 launch of the year. The mission, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:26 p.m. EDT, carried 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
This achievement highlights SpaceX's accelerated launch cadence. Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX's Vice President of Launch, noted that this milestone was reached earlier in the year compared to the previous year's 100th launch on October 20, 2024. The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster, B1088, completed its ninth mission, demonstrating the company's commitment to reusability. Following stage separation, the booster successfully landed on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean, marking the 145th landing on this vessel and the 489th booster landing overall.
The deployment of the 24 Starlink satellites occurred approximately one hour after liftoff. This expands the Starlink constellation, which now exceeds 8,100 active satellites, with over 9,400 launched since 2018. The Starlink constellation aims to provide high-speed, low-latency internet, particularly to underserved and remote regions, thereby fostering economic growth, improving educational access, and addressing critical needs in healthcare.
SpaceX's ambitious launch schedule, targeting 170 orbital launches in 2025, underscores the maturity and operational capacity of its launch systems. This consistent expansion of its satellite networks supports diverse space missions and contributes to bridging the digital divide globally.