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When is the next SpaceX launch for Starlink’s Falcon 9 rocket? Upcoming schedule explored

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation opeared by the SpaceX subsidiary.
posted by Nirali Sheth
Friday 7/18/2025 at 6:14PM EDT
  • Falcon 9 launch (Photo: Instagram/@spacex)
    Falcon 9 launch (Photo: Instagram/@spacex)

    SpaceX welcomed the weekend with a Falcon 9 rocket launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara, California. According to live coverage of the launch, Spaceflight Now reported that the mission, dubbed Starlink 17-3 launched two dozen Starlink V2 Mini satellites into polar orbit.

    Notably the rocket lifted off a little before 9:00 p.m. local time on Friday, July 18, 2025. Per Space.com, about nine minutes into the flight, its upper booster delivered the Starlink satellites to space, and they were deployed within the next hour.

    The space tech company has another launch scheduled for Monday evening (July 21) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (SPS), followed by one on Tuesday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base (SFB).

    Notably, Friday's launch marked the 88th SpaceX Falcon 9 family launch this year, per Spaceflight Now. Further, this was the 64th launch with Starlink satellites being the main payload (the object being carried by the aircraft). Further, this is the second SpaceX launch from Vandenberg SFB after a brief break for routine maintenance, according to VC Star.

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    Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider is a subsidiary of SpaceX. The company operates its satellite internet constellation called Starlink, providing internet services across the globe. According to its website, it currently boasts more than 7,800 satellites in orbit.

    Per an update posted on the website on July 14, 2025, the company planned to scale up its network, planning to deploy more than 400 satellites by the end of this year, writing:

    "We plan to launch more than 400 additional satellites to the polar inclination by the end of 2025 alone, which will more than double the capacity for Alaskan customers alone, as well as other high latitude locations."

    According to Spaceflight Now, to reach its goal, the company would need to launch more than sixteen times, carrying at least 24 satellites each.

    Following the launch, SpaceX announced plans for another Falcon 9 launch off Florida's coast on Monday, reported News 6. In a release, the company said the 03b mPOWER mission will deploy from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is worth noting that 03b mPOWER satellites are part of O3b Networks, a communication system operated by the Luxembourg-based company SES.

    According to Spaceflight Now, to reach its goal, the company would need to launch more than sixteen times, carrying at least 24 satellites each. Following the launch, SpaceX announced plans for another Falcon 9 launch off Florida's coast on Monday, reported News 6. In a release, the company said the 03b mPOWER mission will deploy from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is worth noting that 03b mPOWER satellites are part of O3b Networks, a communication system operated by the Luxembourg-based company SES.

    A day later, SpaceX will turn its focus on a rideshare mission for NASA, called TRACERS, with the main payload being two namesake satellites. TRACERS is an acronym for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites. They study the interaction between solar particles and the Earth's magnetic field.

    In addition to TRACERS, other payloads aboard include three other NASA-funded projects: Athena EPIC SmallSat (small satellite), Bard or Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) (a microsatellite), and the Realistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL) CubeSat (another microsatellite), per Next Spaceflight.

    SpaceX's TRACERS mission will launch from the Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Per a release by NASA, the launch window is scheduled to open at 11:13 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time).

    According to Next Spaceflight, SpaceX also has Falcon 9 missions planned on July 24 (Cape Canaveral SFS), July 25 (Vandenberg SFB), and July 29 (Vandenberg SFB). Another launch, the Crew-11 mission, is targeted for July 31, 2025.

     

    TOPICS: SpaceX


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