CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A new SpaceX rocket launched a pristine batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit late Wednesday (Feb. 26) in a dazzling nighttime liftoff.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites soared into the night time sky from a SpaceX's Launch Complex-40, at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 10:34 p.m. EST (0334 GMT).
The Starlink mission, called Starlink 12-13, marked the fourth batch of Starlink internet satellites launched by SpaceX in just over a week, preceded by flights on Feb. 18, Feb. 21 and Feb. 22. SpaceX initially targeted Tuesday night for the launch, but pushed it back 24 hours before that attempt.
The launch was a rarity for SpaceX in one aspect: its Falcon 9 first stage. The booster was a brand-new Falcon 9 stage — designated B1092 — making its first flight, a novelty for SpaceX, which has a stable of veteran flown boosters.
The booster returned to Earth about eight minutes after launch like the legions of its predecessors, touching down on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions stationed offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. The Falcon 9 upper stage, meanwhile, continued its ascent to orbit, where it deployed its 21 Starlink satellites about 65 minutes after liftoff.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
The new Starlink satellites add to SpaceX's growing number of space-based internet satellites in a megaconstellation designed to provide high-speed internet access around the world.
The late-night launch marked SpaceX's 24th Falcon 9 mission of 2025, 18 of which have been dedicated to Starlink launches. SpaceX currently has more than 7,000 operational Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, according to a database by astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who regularly tracks Starlink constellation satellites.
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