Update May 1, 11:30 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms successful deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX kicked off of the month of May with the first of likely several Falcon 9 missions launching more of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites.
Onboard the Starlink 6-75 mission were 28 of the internet supporting satellites, adding to the more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 9:51 p.m. EDT (0151 UTC).
On Wednesday, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance for favorable weather at liftoff with no meteorological concerns for the Falcon 9 flight.
“Strong high pressure over the western Atlantic will keep mostly dry conditions across the area through the end of the week,” launch weather officers wrote. “For launch day some widespread high cloudiness is expected, but there are no concerns for constraint violations.”
SpaceX used the Falcon booster, tail number 1080, on this mission. It conducted its 18th flight to space after supporting two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station along with two cargo missions and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid observatory.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1080 landed on the droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions,’ marking the 118th booster landing on that vessel and the 440th booster landing to date.
The mission begins a new month of launches for SpaceX and marked its 51st Falcon 9 launch of 2025. The company notched at least a dozen launches each of the previous months of the year.
- January – 13
- February – 12
- March – 12
- April – 13
If SpaceX continues to launch 12-13 missions per month, it will close out the year with anywhere between 146 and 154 Falcon launches, below it most recently stated target of 170 orbital flights with its Falcon family of rockets.
In order to achieve its stated goal, SpaceX would need to launch at least 15 times per month or a pace of basically every two days between its three launch pads.
That will be made partially easier thanks to an easing of launch restrictions on the West Coast. Back in November 2024, the Department of the Air Force issued its Final Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding a proposal to increase the number of Falcon 9 launches from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from 36 up to 50 annually. In March 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) adopted that Final EA an issued its own Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision.
Currently, the FAA is considering a Draft EA analyzing SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of launches at SLC-40 in Florida from 50 up to 120 per year. The proposal would also allow for the construction of a booster landing zone at SLC-40 that would support up to 34 landings per year.
A virtual meeting on the SLC-40 proposal is scheduled for May 8 and the public comment period will close on May 15. Click here for information regarding registration for that virtual meeting.
