The landmark flight adds 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to orbit, pushing the company's 2025 total past 1,700.
SpaceX reached a new milestone Monday morning as the company launched its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of the year. The mission, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carried 24 more of its next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit, expanding the reach of its global internet network.
The achievement underscores SpaceX's dominance in the space launch industry, with 2025 shaping up to be its busiest year yet.
The milestone flight, officially named Starlink 17-5, lifted off at 9:26 a.m. PDT on August 18. The rocket soared southward from Vandenberg's pad 4E before successfully deploying its payload. The launch was notable not only for being the 100th Falcon 9 mission of the year, but also for contributing to a record-breaking pace of Starlink deployments.
With this mission, SpaceX has now sent 1,786 Starlink satellites into orbit in 2025 alone. That brings the company closer to its goal of creating a dense, reliable constellation capable of providing high-speed internet access across even the most remote regions of the world.
The Falcon 9 rocket used in this mission was powered by booster B1088, a veteran of eight prior flights. Over its career, the booster has supported a range of missions, including government payloads like NROL-126 and NROL-57, as well as NASA's SPHEREx/PUNCH rideshare launch.
On its ninth journey to space, the booster performed flawlessly once again. Roughly eight and a half minutes after liftoff, it landed upright on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was waiting in the Pacific Ocean. This marks the 145th successful landing for that particular vessel and the 489th overall for SpaceX.
The company's ability to reuse rockets has been a driving force behind its rapid cadence of launches, making spaceflight more sustainable and cost-efficient.
Monday's launch carried 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, the latest iteration of the broadband spacecraft. These satellites are designed to provide stronger connections and improved coverage compared to earlier models.
SpaceX has steadily grown its Starlink network since 2019, with thousands of satellites now orbiting Earth. The service is already available in dozens of countries, and the new additions will help improve reliability and speed as demand for global internet continues to rise.
The satellites are expected to separate from the rocket's upper stage a little over an hour after liftoff. Meanwhile, the second stage of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for a deorbit burn, ensuring that it reenters the atmosphere safely over the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.
The 100th launch of the year is a symbolic milestone for SpaceX, highlighting how far the company has come in less than two decades of flying rockets. Achieving triple-digit launches in a single year places the company in a category of its own, with no other commercial launch provider reaching a similar frequency.
The company shows no signs of slowing down. With dozens more missions already planned for the remainder of 2025, including both Starlink deployments and high-profile projects for NASA and commercial customers, SpaceX is cementing its position as the world's most active launch provider.
While the Starlink program remains a central focus, SpaceX's broader ambitions continue to push forward. The company is advancing work on its next-generation Starship vehicle, preparing for future crewed missions, and expanding global coverage of its satellite internet service.
The 100th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 serves as a reminder of how quickly the company has transformed the space industry. By adding 24 more satellites to orbit, SpaceX not only strengthened its internet constellation but also proved once again that its pace of innovation shows no signs of slowing.