SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites days after service outage
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:01 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Pad 40.
The first-stage booster launched for the 22nd time, including Crew-6 and 17 previous Starlink missions.
About 8 minutes after liftoff, the booster landed on "A Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 119th touchdown on the droneship and the 480th to date for SpaceX in Florida and California.
This year, it was the 91st Falcon 9 launch, according to SpaceFlight Now.
There are more than 8,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
On Thursday, Starlink users reported a rare full network outage of internet service. It began at 4 p.m. About 2 1/2 hours later, SpaceX announced most service had been restored. Then, 1 1/2 hours later, full service was back, Starlink reported.
"The outage was due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network," Michael Nicholls, vice president of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX wrote on X. "We apologize for the temporary disruption in our service; we are deeply committed to providing a highly reliable network, and will fully root cause this issue and ensure it does not occur again."
There are more than 6 million Starlink customers worldwide, including 2 million in the United States after debuting in 2021.
The next SpaceX launch is scheduled for 8:55 p.m. PDT Saturday from Vandenbrug Space Force Station's Pad 4E in California. An additional 24 Starlink satellites are scheduled for deployment.
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Don't miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $449,961!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $40,603!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $636,628!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Rocket Lab, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Will Starlink IPO Before SpaceX? What Investors Should Know. was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
