SpaceX Launches New Falcon 9 Rocket and 23 Starlink Satellites

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — SpaceX launched its new Falcon 9 rocket late Tuesday night, May 20, at 11:19 p.m. EDT (03:19 GMT, May 21). The rocket successfully carried 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) following an aborted launch attempt the previous night.

The mission was originally scheduled for May 19, but the countdown was halted at T minus two minutes and 28 seconds due to an unspecified issue. SpaceX announced the auto abort through a social media post, assuring that both the vehicle and payload were in good condition for a rescheduled launch.

Tuesday’s launch featured a Falcon 9 booster, tail number B1095, that became operational for the first time. This marked the fourth new booster introduced by SpaceX in 2025, while the company currently has 18 other boosters in active service.

Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster successfully landed on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This achievement represented the 121st landing on this vessel and the 449th overall successful booster recovery.

Inside the Falcon 9’s payload fairing were 23 Starlink satellites, which included 13 designed for direct-to-cellphone communication. SpaceX confirmed that the deployment of the satellites occurred about an hour and five minutes after launch, following a brief burn of the second stage to establish a stable orbit.

This mission added to an already busy year for SpaceX, marking the 60th Falcon 9 flight in 2025 and the 43rd dedicated to Starlink satellites. With each successful launch, SpaceX continues to expand its satellite constellation, furthering its ambitions to enhance global internet connectivity.