Following the successful flight of Starship Flight 11 on Monday, SpaceX is set to continue its impressive launch cadence with six Falcon 9 missions in one week: four Starlink missions, one Kuiper mission (weather-delayed from last week), and a mission for the Space Development Agency.
Internationally, China has one launch planned for the week, and Rocket Lab successfully launched an Electron from New Zealand on Tuesday.
The final Block 2 Starship mission launched on Monday, Oct. 13, at 7:23 PM EDT (23:23 UTC) from Pad 1 in Starbase, Texas. Ship 38 was lifted into space by Super Heavy Booster 15, which made its second flight to space on Flight 11. Booster 15 previously supported Starship Flight 8, when it was successfully caught by the Pad 1 “chopsticks” mechanism.
Once inserted into the planned sub-orbital trajectory, Ship 38 deployed eight Starlink simulators through a payload door via a “PEZ dispenser” mechanism. Booster 15 performed a boostback burn and returned to hover in a stable attitude above the Gulf before falling into the waters for an explosive disposal.
Ship 38 managed a second successful reentry for the Block 2 Starship design, landing softly in the Indian Ocean adjacent to pre-positioned marker buoys. Like the booster, the ship was deliberately destroyed by falling over into the water.
SpaceX will now transition to the new Block 3 design for both Starship and Super Heavy, with an associated switch from Pad 1 to the new Pad 2 at Starbase. The next Starship flight is likely to be sometime in the first half of 2026.
Falcon 9 | Project Kuiper (KF-03)
Falcon 9 launched a new batch of internet satellites on Monday for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation. The KF-03 mission launched on Oct. 13 at 9:58 PM EDT (Tuesday, 01:58 UTC), with 24 communication satellites flying on a northeast trajectory into low-Earth orbit (LEO). This mission had suffered considerable delays due to the unsuitable weather conditions in Florida last week.
LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1091-2 launches Project Kuiper (KF-03) from SLC-40.
It's been a hot minute since SpaceX launched something
pic.twitter.com/H8JGrOOzNM
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 14, 2025
To date, five Kuiper missions have been launched, with three using Atlas V and two using Falcon 9. Two additional Kuiper launches are scheduled for later this year on the Atlas V and Vulcan rockets. So far, 129 Kuiper satellites have been placed into LEO, with 3,236 satellites expected to be deployed across the entire constellation.
Launching from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida, booster B1091 made its second flight into space after a 60-day turnaround. Shortly after launch, the booster separated from the upper stage and performed a landing atop SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions droneship. The second stage continued into LEO and deployed the Project Kuiper satellites approximately one hour into the flight.
Falcon 9 is a 3.9 m diameter, 70 m tall two-stage rocket. The first stage booster is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines, while the second stage utilizes a single vacuum-optimized Merlin engine. Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are the first and only reusable orbital rockets in service today, with one Falcon booster having flown 30 flights. The two payload fairings are also recovered and reused after flight.
Having already launched six of 17 contracted StriX satellites, Rocket Lab recently announced a new launch contract for an additional 10 Earth-imaging satellites for Synspective, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data and analytics company based in Japan. The first mission under the new contract, named “Owl New World,” launched on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 16:33 UTC from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1A on the Mãhia Peninsula in New Zealand.
The 100 kg payload was deployed into LEO at an altitude of 583 km, approximately an hour into the mission.
Electron is a two-stage rocket with an optional kick stage, which was used on this mission. The first stage features nine Rutherford sea-level engines, each producing 21 kN of thrust at liftoff and peaking at 25 kN (5,600 lbf) in flight. The second stage includes a Rutherford vacuum engine that produces 25.8 kN (5,800 lbf) of thrust. Both variants of Rutherford are powered by electric pumps instead of traditional gas turbines. The kick stage uses an unspecified bi-propellant-fueled Curie engine. Both the Rutherford and Curie engines are largely 3D-printed, and the two main stages are constructed of carbon composite.
Falcon 9 | Tranche 1 Transport Layer C
Later on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 4:12:43 PM PDT (23:12:43 UTC), a Falcon 9 will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California.
The customer for this mission is the Space Development Agency (SDA), a direct-reporting unit of the U.S. Space Force. This mission serves as the second of six Tranche 1 Transport Layer missions to launch on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg. Falcon 9 will carry 21 satellites on a due south trajectory toward a polar orbit. SDA’s Transport Layer will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to a full range of warfighter platforms.
Supporting this flight is booster B1093, which will be flying for the seventh time. The booster will land atop SpaceX’s west coast droneship Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Pacific Ocean. B1093 has previously supported five Starlink missions and the SDA’s recent Tranche 1 Transport Layer B mission.
Chang Zheng 8A | Unknown Payload
China’s only launch of this week is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 16, at 1:30 UTC from Commercial Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China.
As with most Chinese launches, no reliable information about the mission’s payload has been released. The rocket that’s been reported to fly the mission is a Chang Zheng 8A.
The Chang Zheng 8A (CZ-8A) is comprised of three stages, standing 50.54 m tall with a 5.2 m fairing. The 8A variant typically uses two strap-on liquid-fuelled boosters.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-52
Falcon 9 is set to launch the Starship Group 10-52 mission on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 2:42 AM EDT (06:42 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS in Florida.
Booster B1095, which flew for the first time on May 3, will fly its third mission. The booster’s two previous missions also deployed satellites into the Starlink constellation’s Group 10 shell.
Falcon 9 will fly on a northeasterly trajectory, carrying 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to LEO. Following stage separation, the booster will perform a reentry burn and land atop the Just Read The Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Following landing, the booster will be secured and returned to the Cape for reuse.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-19
A second Falcon 9 launch from SLC-4E at VSFB is planned for Friday, Oct. 17, at 5:09 PM PDT (Saturday, Oct 18, at 00:09 UTC). Booster B1088 will support the Starlink Group 11-19 mission, lofting 28 Starlink satellites into LEO via a southeasterly trajectory.
B1088 will be flying for the eleventh time, and will land atop the Of Course I Still Love You droneship. The booster previously supported the NROL-126, Transporter 12, SPHEREx & PUNCH, NROL-57, and six Starlink missions since its first flight in November 2024.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-17
Falcon 9 operations will switch back to the east coast later on Sunday, Oct. 19, with the launch of the Starlink Group 10-17 mission. Liftoff is planned for 10:52 AM EDT (14:52 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS in Florida.
This mission marks several important milestones, with booster B1067 setting a new record for reuse, making its 31st flight after a 51-day turnaround. This mission will also mark Falcon 9’s 550th mission, and the 132nd Falcon 9 flight this year.
B1067 has previously flown the CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, O3B mPOWER-A, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2, Galileo L13, and Koreasat-6A missions, as well as 19 Starlink missions. The booster first flew on June 3, 2021
Falcon 9 will lift 28 v2 Mini Starlink satellites to a 53.16-degree inclination LEO. Following launch and stage separation, the booster will return to land atop A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed approximately 640 km downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-5
The final Falcon 9 launch of the week is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 AM PDT (14:00 UTC) from SLC-4E in California.
Booster B1075 will deliver a further 28 v2 Mini Starlink satellites into the constellation’s Group 11 shell for the Starlink Group 11-5 mission. Falcon 9 will fly on a southeasterly trajectory before landing atop Of Course I Still Love You.
This mission will mark B1075’s 21st mission. B1075 previously supported 17 Starlink missions and the SARah 2 & 3, Transporter 11, and T&T Layer (Tranche 0A) missions.
(Lead Image: Project Kuiper KF-03 lifts off from the Cape. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
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