Florida’s 50th release in 2025 was planned to transport humans into space, but instead put another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit.
SpaceX and Axiom Space had several options to fly this week, but are pending due to an attempt to launch an AX-4 mission from the Kennedy Space Center, which was blocked by liquid oxygen leaks on the Falcon 9 booster. They are waiting for all the clear things from NASA and Roscosmos, who were checking for ongoing leak repairs on the Russian side of the International Space Station.
Roscosmos announced on Friday, but the leak was eliminated, but the date for new launch attempts has not yet been set by NASA or SpaceX as the pressure was still being monitored. However, SpaceX retested the booster in question at a wet dress rehearsal on Thursday to make sure the leaks were not gone.
Meanwhile, at 11:29am SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 with 23 Starlink Internet satellites from the space launch complex at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 launch 23 @starlink satellite will be in orbit from Florida.
– SpaceX (@Spacex) June 13, 2025
The first phase booster took the 21st launch in the droneship recovery landing downrange, resulting in a shortage of Atlantic gravitationals.
This marked the 50th orbital launch from Space Coast, with all but two coming from SpaceX. The other two were from the Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance.
Space Coast saw a record 93 launches from SpaceX in 2024 with 88. Earlier in the year, Space Force said the East is ready to support 156 launches a year. It’s not at that pace, but it’s the target that surpasses the 100 launches that year.
Blue Origin debuted a new Glen in January, but it is not expected to fly again early until summer.
ULA made its first launch in April, using one of the remaining Atlas V rockets to use the first mission in dozens of missions planned to expand Amazon’s internet satellite project Kuiper Constellation, which is attempting to compete with Starlink.
That first flight will capture 27 satellites, with 27 more missions scheduled for Monday.
Amazon purchased nine of ULA’s remaining Atlas V Rockets using one in 2023 to continue its April mission following the Project Kuiper test satellite. ULA has 14 remaining half of the remaining, including Monday’s planned mission for the Amazon launch.
ULA’s plan is to start using the new, larger Vulcan Rocket for Amazon Missions. Amazon has purchased 38 launches at Vulcan and a flight with Blue Origin, Arianespace and even SpaceX, as it seeks to bring more than 3,200 satellites into orbit by 2028.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has launched almost 9,000 Starlink satellites since its first operational mission in 2019.
Falcon completes its 500th overall mission! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team for making the impossible possible on the roads of rapidly reusable rockets! pic.twitter.com/znqpnaw6az
– SpaceX (@Spacex) June 13, 2025
On a Star Link mission from California on Thursday, SpaceX celebrated the completion of its 500th mission since the success of the first Falcon 1 in 2008. Early Rocket only had two successful releases before SpaceX moved to its first mission in 2010. The larger Falcon Heavy flew 11 times.
This year, SpaceX flew 73 Falcon 9 missions from three launch pads in Florida and California.
The SpaceX replacement for Falcon Family of Rockets is the spacecraft and the Super Heavy Rocket. The company plans to build two spacecraft launch sites on the Space Coast for its operational mission. This includes taking over Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 37. Most recently, it was the second home in the Space Coast for the now-retired Delta IV family of rockets.
SpaceX and Space Force destroyed ULA’s Delta IV launch tower on Thursday, giving way to the new spaceship launch tower.
SpaceX’s plan is to fly up to 76 missions a year from the new Canaveral Site, while adding up to 44 from the spaceship pads in work at KSC. This is done in addition to the continuous Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy firing from existing pads of KSC firing complex 39-A and Canaveral SLC-40.
Original issue: June 13th, 2025 11:40am EDT
