SpaceX launches Space Coast's 89th mission of the year

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Oct 26, 2025

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The Space Coast hosted its 89th orbital launch of the year with another SpaceX Starlink mission on Sunday morning.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-21 mission carrying 29 satellites lifted off at 11 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

The first-stage booster made its 24th flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

The latest batch of Starlink satellites continues to add to SpaceX’s massive constellation already in orbit.

The company recently surpassed more than 10,000 Starlink satellites launched since the first operational mission in 2019, according to data maintained by astronomer Jonathan McDowell, although only 8,700 of those remain in orbit.

A launch from California on Saturday was SpaceX’s 135th of the year, besting the previous record of 134 launches it had 2024. The Florida launch made it 136, not counting the five suborbital Starship missions from Texas.

The company had 96 launches in 2023, 61 in 2022 and only 31 in 2021.

For the Space Coast, SpaceX has flown all but five of the year’s missions with United Launch Alliance managing four launches so far this year, and Blue Origin responsible for one. Both ULA and Blue Origin have launches lined up for early November, while SpaceX will try and squeeze one more Falcon 9 launch in before the end of the year.

The Space Coast could surpass the record 93 launches seen in 2024 among all launch providers by mid-November, well on its way to likely surpassing 100 for the year.

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