**SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Launches for 125th Time This Year**
*By Dwaipayan Roy | October 4, 2025, 10:18 AM*
SpaceX has reached a remarkable milestone by launching its Falcon 9 rocket for the 125th time in 2025. The latest mission successfully took off yesterday from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:06 AM EDT (7:36 PM IST).
The Falcon 9 carried a payload of 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), advancing SpaceX’s ambitious plans to expand its satellite internet constellation.
**Successful Booster Landing**
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket made a flawless return, landing safely on SpaceX’s droneship *Of Course I Still Love You* stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the second launch and landing for this particular booster, designated B1097. Like its previous mission, it was also used for a Starlink satellite deployment, according to SpaceX’s mission details.
**Growing Starlink Satellite Constellation**
Starlink continues to dominate Falcon 9 launches, accounting for over 70% of them in 2025. This makes it the largest satellite constellation ever assembled. As of now, there are more than 8,500 active Starlink satellites orbiting Earth.
To put this into perspective, the European Space Agency reports that there are approximately 12,500 operational satellites of all kinds currently in orbit. This means that two out of every three functional satellites in space are Starlink satellites — a ratio that is expected to increase as SpaceX furthers its deployment.
With this continued pace, SpaceX is shaping the future of global satellite internet connectivity while setting new records in spaceflight frequency and reusable rocket technology.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/new-milestone-for-spacex-s-falcon-9-rocket/story