Photo: SpaceX
Lather, rinse repeat: SpaceX successfully launched another tranche of Starlink satellites Saturday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The mission, dubbed Starlink 12-9, lifted off at 2:18 PM into bluebird skies.
The flight plan was a familiar one: southeast, towards The Bahamas on a path some locals have dubbed “The Bimini Highway.” Booster B1078 completed its 17th mission when it touched down successfully aboard ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which was stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean, and both will now return to Port Canaveral so the booster can be offloaded, returned to SpaceX’s facilities and refurbished for its next flight.
Around the time that the first stage was touching down, the second stage and the Starlink payload was reaching orbit. After a quick rounding burn roughly one hour after launch, the satellites were deployed and the mission concluded successfully.
This was the 434th mission for Falcon 9, and the 1002nd orbital launch from venerable Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
A near-mimeograph of today’s launch NET Tuesday, February 11:
- Date: NET February 11, 2025
- Organization: SpaceX
- Mission: Starlink 12-18
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Launch Window: 12:00 – 4:43 PM EST
- Payload: Starlink satellites
- Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
Keep in mind that launch dates and times can and do change often, so be sure to check Talk of Titusville’s Launch Calendar for updates.