SpaceX achieves another victory with Falcon 9 launching 23 Starlink satellites

On March 15, at 7:35 a.m. EDT (11:35 GMT), a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 equipped with direct-to-cell technology.

This marked SpaceX's third launch in just 13 hours, demonstrating the company’s ability to execute multiple missions in a short timeframe, Caliber.Az reports per US website covering astronomy news.

The hectic sequence of launches began on March 14 at 7:03 p.m. EDT (23:03 GMT), when a Falcon 9 rocket launched the Crew-10 astronaut mission towards the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, located near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Crew-10 mission, which includes four astronauts, is scheduled to dock with the ISS at approximately 11:30 p.m. EDT (03:30 GMT on March 16).

The docking can be watched live on Space.com. Earlier on March 15, SpaceX launched 74 payloads into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the Transporter 13 rideshare mission. This particular mission also marked a significant achievement for SpaceX, as it was the 400th successful landing of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster. 

The Starlink launch was also notable for another successful booster landing, marking the 18th touchdown for the specific Falcon 9 booster involved, according to SpaceX’s mission update. As of 2025, SpaceX has launched a total of 31 Falcon 9 missions. About two-thirds of these missions have focused on expanding the Starlink network, which is rapidly becoming the largest satellite constellation in history. To date, the company has launched nearly 8,100 Starlink satellites, with 7,061 currently operational, as reported by astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

By Naila Huseynova