SpaceX reached a major milestone this week by completing the final test flight of its Version 2 Starship while continuing a rapid launch pace with a successful Starlink mission.
The company conducted its 130th Falcon 9 launch of 2025 early Thursday morning, sending 28 Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, Starlink 10-52, lifted off at 5:27 a.m. EDT, bringing SpaceX close to its 2024 record of 138 Falcon 9 flights.
Three days earlier, SpaceX carried out the 11th and final test flight of the current Starship design from its Starbase facility in Texas. The Monday evening launch met all goals, including deploying eight mock Starlink satellites and demonstrating key landing maneuvers needed for future missions.
“Focus now turns to the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy, with multiple vehicles currently in active build and preparing for tests,” SpaceX said. The upcoming Version 3 design will be roughly five feet taller, feature upgraded Raptor 3 engines, improved energy storage, and new docking adapters for in-space propellant transfer.
The transition comes as NASA faces pressure to meet its 2027 Artemis III lunar landing schedule. NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has warned that SpaceX’s Human Landing System could face delays, especially due to technical challenges with cryogenic propellant transfer in orbit.
Thursday’s Starlink mission represented more than 70% of SpaceX’s 2025 launches devoted to expanding its satellite constellation, which now includes about 8,600 operational spacecraft. The mission used booster B1095 on its third flight, which successfully landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions.
SpaceX has achieved a 99% booster landing success rate this year, with 123 recoveries from 124 attempts.
