SpaceX sends 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on launch from Florida (video)

A white and black rocket lifts off into the night sky, lighting its launch pad and surrounding area by the light of its engines’ thrust.

Twenty-eight new SpaceX Starlink satellites are now in low Earth orbit, having launched from Florida early Wednesday morning (June 18).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the broadband internet relays lifted off at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The 28 satellites (Group 10-18) were deployed about an hour after the launch, as confirmed by SpaceX.

At just 8 minutes into the flight, the Falcon 9's first stage successfully touched down on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions." The landing marked the completion of Booster B1090's fifth trip to space and back.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Booster 1090 missions

O3b mPOWER-E | Crew-10 | Bandwagon-3 | 2 Starlink missions

Wednesday morning's launch comes just two days after SpaceX sent 26 Starlink satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California. The company now has more than 7,777 active internet relays circling Earth.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean after its fifth successful launch on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX is currently working to deploying a total of 12,000 Starlink satellites, but has plans, if approved, to grow the megaconstellation to more than 34,000 units in orbit.