SpaceX successfully launched its 45th Starlink mission of the year on Friday, sending a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into space. The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and was witnessed by hundreds of people along the shores.
According to the Weather Squadron, the chances of favorable weather for the launch were about 80% before liftoff, but decreased to 60% as the four-hour opportunity progressed. The forecast predicted isolated showers during the early afternoon, which would clear up as thunderstorms developed inland later in the day.
The Falcon 9 rocket used its fourth most flown booster, tail number B1069, which has supported previous missions including SpaceX’s Commercial Resupply Services flight to the International Space Station and OneWeb Missions. After liftoff, the booster landed on a droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, marking the 110th touchdown for this vessel.
The onboard Starlink V2 Mini satellites included 13 with Direct-to-Cell capabilities, with over 234 such satellites already launched into low Earth orbit prior to this mission.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/05/24/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-23-starlink-satellites-on-falcon-9-launch-from-cape-canaveral-2