Following the successful flight of Starship Flight 11 on Monday, SpaceX continued its impressive launch cadence with five Falcon 9 missions in one week: three Starlink missions, one Kuiper mission (weather-delayed from last week), and a mission for the Space Development Agency.
Internationally, China has launched four times during the week, and Rocket Lab successfully launched an Electron from New Zealand on Tuesday.
A Chang Zheng 2D (CZ-2D) launched from Site 9401 (SLS-2) at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Monday, Oct. 13, at 10:00 UTC.
The payload — Shiyan 31 — was reported as a “new optical imaging technology demonstrator”. The satellite was launched due South into a polar orbit.
The CZ-2D is a two-stage, 40.77 m tall rocket, fitted with a 3.35 m diameter fairing.
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.
LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1093-7 launches Tranche 1 Transport Layer C from SLC-4E, Vandenberg.
Overview:https://t.co/HTy0VA9J0v
Live: https://t.co/6GlmSkGR98 pic.twitter.com/p9sZ99FSpX
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) October 15, 2025
Falcon 9 | Tranche 1 Transport Layer C
A Falcon 9 was expected to launch later on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 4:12:43 PM PDT (23:12:43 UTC), from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. The launch countdown was held just prior to propellant load commencing, likely due to bad weather in the area. With an instantaneous launch window, the launch attempt was scrubbed for the day.
SpaceX rescheduled the launch, and liftoff occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 4:06:06 PM PDT (23:06:06 UTC).
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 was booster B1093, flying for the seventh time. Following the flight, the booster landed atop SpaceX’s west coast droneship Of Course I Still Love You stationed 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 | SatNet LEO Group 12
China’s second launch of this week lifted off on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 1:33 UTC from Commercial Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China.
A Chang Zheng 8A launched a group of LEO communications satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation.
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 launched the Starship Group 10-52 mission on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 5:27 AM EDT (09:27 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS in Florida.
Booster B1095, which flew for the first time on May 3, flew its third mission. The booster’s two previous missions also deployed satellites into the Starlink constellation’s Group 10 shell.
Falcon 9 flew on a northeasterly trajectory, carrying 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to LEO. Following stage separation, the booster performed a reentry burn and land atop the Just Read The Instructions droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Following landing, the booster was secured for return to the Cape for reuse.
Chang Zheng 6A | G60 Polar Group 18
This week’s third launch from China took place on Friday, Oct. 17th, at 07:08 UTC. A Chang Zheng 6A (CZ-6A) will liftoff from Launch Complex 9A at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China and is expected to fly due South.
The payload of communications satellites were delivered into a polar orbit for Group 18 of the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies.
The Chang Zheng (CZ) 6A rocket has two stages with four additional strap-on boosters. A 4.2 m diameter, 57 m high fairing sits atop the second stage, giving the vehicle a 50 m height.
Kinetica 1 | PRSC-HS1 & AIRSAT-03/04
A Kinetica 1 became the fourth Chinese rocket to launch this week. The four-stage, solid-propellant launch vehicle launched on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 03:33 UTC from Site 130, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China.
The third Kinetica 1 mision of 2025 placed three payloads into a polar orbit, flying due south after launch – PRSC-HS1, a hyperspectral Earth observation satellite for SUPERACO of Pakistan, and two X-band SAR Earth observation satellites AIRSAT-03/04.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-17
Falcon 9 operations switched back to the east coast on Sunday, Oct. 19, with the launch of the Starlink Group 10-17 mission. Liftoff was planned for 10:52 AM EDT (14:52 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS in Florida, but was pushed back into the launch window, launching at 1:39 PM EDT (17:39 UTC).
This mission marks several important milestones, with booster B1067 setting a new record for reuse, making its 31st flight after a 52-day turnaround. This mission also marked Falcon 9’s 549th mission, and the 131st 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 lifted 28 v2 Mini Starlink satellites to a 53.16-degree inclination LEO. Following launch and stage separation, the booster returned to land atop A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed approximately 640 km downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-19
A second Falcon 9 launch from SLC-4E at VSFB took place on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 12:24 PM PDT (19:24 UTC), aproximately two hours later than previously announced, following a similar change to the Starlink mission launching earlier in the day. Booster B1088 supported the Starlink Group 11-19 mission, lofting 28 Starlink satellites into LEO via a southeasterly trajectory.
B1088 was flying for the eleventh time, and landed 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.
(Lead Image: Project Kuiper KF-03 lifts off from the Cape. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
