SpaceX launched another batch of 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit on its Falcon 9 rocket Thursday afternoon breaking its pad turnaround record by nearly five hours.
Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred shortly before sunset at 5:01 p.m. EST (2201 UTC). The liftoff broke the pad turnaround record for SpaceX, following close on the heels of the NROL-77 mission, two days, two hours, 44 minutes and 55 seconds earlier. The previous record of two days seven hour 29 minutes and 10 seconds was set back in October.
The mission, Starlink 6-90, was the company’s 161st orbital launch of the year and its 118th flight in 2025 carrying Starlink satellites. It was also the 170th orbital flight for the company in the last 365 days.
SpaceX used the Falcon 9 first stage B1083 for the mission. It was the boosters 16th flight following launches of missions like IM-2, Polaris Dawn and Crew-8.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1083 landed on the drone ship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’ positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 137th landing on this vessel and the 549th booster landing for SpaceX to date.
