SpaceX launches 27 new starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB on April 7, 2025

TOI Science Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 8, 2025, 11:09 IST

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SpaceX successfully launched 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking a milestone in global internet connectivity. The Falcon 9 rocket deployed the satellites an hour after the 4:06 p.m. PDT liftoff. The first-stage booster landed on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You," achieving SpaceX's 124th booster recovery.

SpaceX launches 27 new starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB on April 7, 2025

Image source: YouTube

SpaceX launched another group of 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on April 7. The mission represented an important milestone in SpaceX's satellite deployment work, which boosted global internet connectivity. After lift-off at 4:06 p.m. PDT, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully released the satellites some one hour later. Moreover, the Falcon 9's first-stage booster successfully landed on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean, making it the 124th booster recovery success. The mission also featured SpaceX's new Falcon 9 booster, B1093, as part of the company's continued push for reusability.

SpaceX launch date and timing

The SpaceX launch was at 4:06 p.m. PDT (7:06 p.m. EDT, 2306 UTC) from Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East. The Falcon 9 rocket that carried the Starlink V2 Mini satellites lifted off without incident, and SpaceX announced the successful deployment of the satellites about an hour after launch. Such swift reporting is an indication of how efficient SpaceX's systems are in deploying payloads in space.

Watch live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, California

Falcon 9 rocket booster landing achievement

About eight minutes following liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster landed securely on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 124th time that this droneship successfully landed a booster, showing the rocket reusability history of SpaceX. This was the 428th booster landing in SpaceX history, a new record in SpaceX's reuse policy.

Launch of first-stage booster new Falcon 9 Booster: B1093

SpaceX used a new Falcon 9 first-stage booster, B1093, on this mission. It is the second recent booster SpaceX has used in 2025 following the inaugural flight of B1092 on the Starlink 12-13 mission on February 27. By adding new boosters to their fleet on a regular basis, SpaceX maintains its reusability strategy robust and consistent with regular launch demand.

SpaceX focuses on maximising booster reusability

SpaceX's emphasis on keeping new boosters at a minimum in its fleet and the reuse of existing boosters as high as possible is the priority of its long-term agenda. Its aim is to use each booster as many as 40 times. SpaceX introduced six new boosters to service during 2024, one fewer than introduced during 2023 and in 2022 when six were brought into service. That reduced need for new boosters reflects the increased level of confidence that the company now has in using and reusing hardware it already owns.
SpaceX currently has 18 active Falcon boosters, of which 11 are located on the East Coast and 7 on the West Coast. The fleet allows SpaceX to maintain a high volume of launches as the need rises for launching satellites and other flights. The rotation also allows recovery and refurbishment of the boosters at high frequencies so that the company is in a position to resist its aggressive launch schedule.

SpaceX's Falcon heavy boosters and their role in reusability

One such fact is that SpaceX has one booster that previously flew as a Falcon Heavy side booster and never has been reused within the Falcon 9 program. The booster, B1072, was used for the GOES-U weather satellite mission. Although it has yet to be re-flowed as a Falcon 9 booster stage, another of the Falcon Heavy side boosters, B1086, ultimately got re-converted to Falcon 9 booster stage and reflown successfully sometime around six months later on Starlink 12-5.
These ongoing improvements and additions to SpaceX's booster inventory are reflective of the company's emphasis on a lower-cost, more sustainable space launch industry. The employment of reusable boosters remains a mainstay of SpaceX's strategy, reducing costs and raising the frequency and reliability of its launches.
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