Video: Falcon 9 hot fire

The Starlink 6-72 mission was the 26th launch of Starlink satellites in 2025. Liftoff of from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 11:07 p.m. EDT (0307 UTC).

SpaceX continued launching satellites for the Starlink internet network Friday, sending a Falcon 9 rocket aloft from Cape Canaveral with 56 more older-generation broadband spacecraft as ground teams troubleshoot problems with a batch of upgraded Starlinks launched last month.

Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, with more time in space than any other American, rocketed back into orbit for the fourth time Sunday, riding a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from Florida with a fare-paying investor and private pilot, and the first two Saudi Arabian astronauts to fly to the International Space Station.