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WATCH REPLAY: SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites From Cape Canaveral Under Harvest Supermoon

By  //  October 7, 2025

made a textbook landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — The Space Coast lit up early Tuesday morning as SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites beneath the glow of the Harvest supermoon, marking the company’s 130th mission of the year and another milestone in its record-breaking pace.

At 2:46 a.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 rocket roared to life from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 28 Starlink broadband satellites to low-Earth orbit.

The predawn liftoff came just hours after the year’s final supermoon reached its peak brightness at 11:48 p.m., casting a golden glow across Florida’s Space Coast.

Smooth Flight and Precision Landing

About 8½ minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage — booster B1090 — made a textbook landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the eighth flight and recovery for the veteran booster, which previously supported missions including CRS-33, O3b mPOWER-E, Crew-10, Bandwagon-3, and two prior Starlink deployments.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued its journey, deploying the satellites roughly 64 minutes after launch into their designated low-Earth orbit. Once operational, these spacecraft will expand SpaceX’s ever-growing Starlink network, designed to deliver high-speed internet service worldwide — including to remote and underserved regions.

Record-Setting Year for SpaceX

Tuesday’s mission, known as Starlink 10-59, represented SpaceX’s 126th Falcon 9 flight and 130th total launch of 2025, counting four suborbital test flights of the company’s next-generation Starship megarocket. The next Starship test — the fifth this year — is scheduled for October 13, as the company continues to advance toward its long-term goal of enabling human missions to Mars.

The launch also ended a brief lull in Space Coast activity, marking the first rocket liftoff in more than a week after stormy weather delayed operations along the Atlantic corridor.

Perfect Timing Under the Harvest Moon

Coinciding with the October Harvest supermoon, the launch offered a rare celestial double feature for early risers. The moon’s close approach to Earth made it appear larger and brighter than usual, providing a striking backdrop as the Falcon 9 streaked skyward.

Weather conditions leading up to launch were about 65 percent favorable, with only moderate concerns for winds and clouds. Liftoff proceeded without delay after final checks cleared in the last hour of the countdown.

The Starlink 10-59 mission underscores SpaceX’s unmatched flight tempo, as the company continues to refine its reusable rocket system and expand its satellite internet constellation. Over the coming weeks, several more Starlink missions are queued from both Florida and California, maintaining SpaceX’s projection of nearly 150 total launches by year’s end.

With the rhythmic thunder of engines echoing under a radiant supermoon, Tuesday’s flight was another reminder of how routine — yet still spectacular — rocket launches have become along Florida’s Space Coast.