Hassan Khan
SpaceX Reaches 10,000 Starlink Milestone with Latest Launch
SpaceX quietly made history this Sunday. Two Falcon 9 rockets lifted off within hours of each other, sending 56 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. That single day pushed the company past a staggering 10,000 satellites launched since 2018 a number no one imagined possible a decade ago.
The mission was part of SpaceX’s 132nd launch of 2025, tying last year’s record. And with more than two months left, there’s little doubt that record will soon be broken. For a company that once fought to prove rockets could land safely, the scale of its routine success now feels almost unreal.
Over 8,600 Starlink Satellites Operational
Out of those 10,000 satellites, about 8,608 remain active, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who tracks orbital data. The rest have completed their runs or been deliberately deorbited a process that ensures they burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere. Each Starlink unit has a lifespan of roughly five years, part of SpaceX’s plan to keep its network fresh and safe.
See More: Elon Musk Activates Starlink in Iran to Counter Mass Internet Blackout
Expanding Internet Access Across the Globe
The goal behind this massive effort is simple global internet coverage. Starlink’s first prototypes flew in 2018, and by 2021, the company began selling service to rural areas that had long been offline. From mountaintop cabins to desert camps, people are now logging on through a network built in the sky.
SpaceX currently has approval to deploy 12,000 satellites, with plans to go beyond 30,000 in the future. If completed, it would form the largest communications constellation in human history.
Read More: Starlink Outage Leaves Tens of Thousands Without Internet
Growing Concerns About Orbital Crowding
That growth, however, comes with tension. Experts warn that the skies are filling up. Competitors like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and new satellite networks from Europe and China are adding thousands more to orbit. The result: growing concern about space congestion, debris, and the long-term sustainability of near-Earth space.
A Record Breaking Year Ahead
Crossing the 10,000 mark isn’t just a technical win it’s a turning point. SpaceX has proven that private companies can build and manage networks once thought possible only for governments. But as the world gets connected from orbit, the question now shifts: how do we keep space from becoming the next traffic jam?
For now, one thing is certain SpaceX has changed what “Internet Infrastructure” means forever. The cables are no longer underground; they’re circling far above our heads.
