Florida’s Space Coast has reached a significant milestone, recording its 50th orbital rocket launch of 2025. This rapid pace, driven primarily by SpaceX, is not only maintaining but outpacing the record set in 2024, solidifying the region’s status as the world’s busiest spaceport.
The 50th liftoff occurred on Friday, June 13th, at 11:29 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared into the morning sky carrying another batch of 23 Starlink broadband satellites destined for low-Earth orbit.
Setting a New Standard for Launch Cadence
The speed at which the Space Coast is launching rockets this year is unprecedented. In 2024, which saw a record-setting 93 orbital launches from the combined facilities of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the 50th launch wasn’t achieved until July 8th. Reaching this same number by mid-June means the 2025 pace is currently running approximately three and a half weeks ahead of last year’s record-breaking rate.
Industry observers and state leaders point to this accelerating activity as evidence of Florida’s dominance in the space sector. Projections suggest the Space Coast could potentially host well over 100 launches by the end of 2025, demonstrating its capacity to support the growing demands of commercial, civil, and national security missions.
SpaceX’s Reusability Engine
A key factor enabling this relentless pace is SpaceX’s success with rocket reusability. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster supporting the June 13th Starlink mission completed its 21st flight, adding to an impressive list of previous missions including crew transport and satellite deployments. The ability to rapidly refurbish and refly boosters dramatically reduces costs and turnaround times between launches, a practice that has transformed the space industry.
Following stage separation, the veteran booster executed a successful landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, ready for potential future missions.
While the Space Coast marks its 50th launch, SpaceX itself reached its 70th orbital mission globally earlier in June (on June 8th from California), highlighting the sheer volume of the company’s operations worldwide. A significant portion of these flights (52 out of the first 70) have been dedicated to deploying Starlink satellites as the company builds out its vast internet constellation. SpaceX has an ambitious goal of conducting up to 170 orbital launches across all sites in 2025.
More Than Just Starlink: Diverse Missions
Although Starlink missions make up the bulk of the traffic, the Space Coast’s 50 launches in 2025 thus far represent a diverse range of space activities. The manifest has included launches for commercial telecommunications providers, lunar lander missions (carrying NASA payloads), national security satellites, cargo resupply flights to the International Space Station, and even the maiden flight of Blue Origin’s large New Glenn rocket. United Launch Alliance (ULA) has also contributed to the tally with launches for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, showcasing the variety of providers operating from the region.
Other Notable Space Coast News
Beyond the impressive launch cadence, the Space Coast has seen other significant developments:
Ax-4 Mission Delayed: Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS, scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center via SpaceX, was recently postponed. The delay stemmed from a liquid oxygen leak found during Falcon 9 booster inspections, compounded by an unrelated leak on the International Space Station itself. A new launch date is pending coordination with NASA and Axiom Space.
LC-37 Transformation: United Launch Alliance (ULA) recently completed the demolition of towers and infrastructure at Launch Complex 37 (LC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX plans to take over the site, developing new pads and facilities there with the goal of launching its Starship-Super Heavy rocket system from LC-37 potentially as early as next year, pending regulatory reviews.
Looking Ahead
The pace is set to continue, with SpaceX already targeting its next launch from the Space Coast. According to navigational advisories, another Starlink mission is tentatively scheduled for the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 18th, again from LC-40. While SpaceX had not made a public announcement at the time of this report, the targeted window suggests another busy week for the Cape.
