SpaceX's Starlink satellites surpass 10,000



SpaceX, the company headed by CEO Elon Musk, has reported that the total number of satellites for its satellite internet service, Starlink , will reach 10,000 with the launch on October 20, 2025.



SpaceX lofts 10,000th Starlink satellite on record-tying 132nd Falcon 9 launch of the year | Space
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-10000th-starlink-satellinch

SpaceX received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2018 for a plan to launch 4,400 first-generation Starlink satellites, followed by approval for a plan to launch a total of 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites in December 2022. In September 2024, 21 Starlink satellites were launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, marking the 7,000th Starlink satellite launch, and Musk announced that 'Starlink satellites now account for approximately two-thirds of all active satellites orbiting the Earth.'

SpaceX launches 7,000th Starlink satellite, bringing the number of active Starlink satellites to about two-thirds of all satellites - GIGAZINE



On October 20, 2025, SpaceX announced the successful launch of 56 Starlink satellites from Florida and California, bringing the total number of Starlink satellites launched to over 10,000.



The 10,000th Starlink satellite was among 28 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and SpaceX announced during the launch live, 'From Tintin to the 10,000th! Go Starlink, go Falcon, go SpaceX!' Tintin is the name of the Starlink prototype launched in 2018, celebrating the project's 10,000th launch.

However, this does not mean that there are 10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth. The design lifespan of Starlink satellites is about 5 to 7 years, and the prototype launched in 2018 and the first generation satellites launched in 2019 are being gradually disposed of.

Starlink satellites are falling to Earth one to two per day - GIGAZINE



Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has compiled and published information on Starlink's satellite operation status on his website , and you can also check the real-time location of Starlink satellites on STARLINKMAP.ORG . According to McDowell's satellite tracking system, of the approximately 10,000 satellites successfully launched, approximately 8,600 will be operational as of October 2025.

Starlink has reportedly experienced a decline in communication speeds as the number of users increased , so forming a constellation of more Starlink satellites is important to providing high-speed, low-latency internet to the world. SpaceX has received approval to launch 12,000 satellites as of October 2025, with its final plan targeting more than 30,000. As of October 20, 2025, the number of launches by Falcon 9 rockets this year had reached 132, matching the record set in 2024, and the pace is expected to increase further.

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