"CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida-Another Falcon 9 rocket fired off its launch pad here on Monday night, taking with it another 29 Starlink Internet satellites to orbit. This was the 94th orbital launch from Florida's Space Coast so far in 2025, breaking the previous record for the most satellite launches in a calendar year from the world's busiest spaceport. Monday night's launch came two days after a Chinese Long March 11 rocket lifted off from an oceangoing platform on the opposite side of the world,"
"Waiting in the darkness a few miles away from the launch pad, I glanced around at my surroundings before watching SpaceX's Falcon 9 thunder into the sky. There were no throngs of space enthusiasts anxiously waiting for the rocket to light up the night. No line of photographers snapping photos. Just this reporter and two chipper retirees enjoying what a decade ago would have attracted far more attention."
Orbital launch activity has surged in 2025, breaking records both globally and at Florida's Space Coast. SpaceX launched its 94th orbital mission from Cape Canaveral, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. A Chinese Long March 11 launch and other missions brought the global total to at least 259, putting the year on pace for about 300 orbital launches. That would more than double the 2021 global total of 135 launches. Routine commercial satellite launches now occur with relatively small public turnout, while major tests and heavy-lift attempts still draw larger crowds and attention.
Read at Ars Technica
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