SpaceX, the private space juggernaut helmed by Elon Musk, is turning 2025 into a banner year for American spaceflight, launching rockets at a tempo that rivals commercial airliners and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in orbit and beyond. The company’s relentless pace—123 Falcon 9 launches by late September, according to Space.com—is not just a technical feat, but a statement: the U.S. is doubling down on its leadership in the new space race.
Earlier this month, SpaceX published an update describing how its Falcon rockets are transforming Florida’s Space Coast into a high-speed launch hub. In 2025 alone, more than 100 Falcon launches from Florida are on the books, with new methane and oxygen production facilities on-site to keep the cadence humming, as reported by SpaceX in a September 18 update. The company wrote, “For the first time in history, there is a concerted effort from several fronts to break the mold of what’s considered conventionally possible when it comes to launching rockets.”
But the action isn’t limited to Florida. On September 25 and 27, SpaceX sent up two Falcon 9 rockets from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, each loaded with Starlink internet satellites. The September 25 mission lifted off at 9:26 p.m. local time with 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Just 8.5 minutes later, the first-stage booster touched down on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” (OCISLY) in the Pacific. Two days later, another Falcon 9 carried 26 more Starlinks, repeating the booster’s precision sea landing. Local outlets like KSBY News and Edhat provided skywatching tips, while residents were warned about potential sonic booms—even if, as Edhat noted, the September 25 launch caused no loud booms beyond the base.
This rapid-fire launch schedule isn’t just for show. About 70% of SpaceX’s 2025 launches have been dedicated to Starlink, the company’s sprawling low-Earth orbit broadband network. By late September, roughly 8,500 Starlinks were circling the globe, with Space.com confirming, “the vast majority of the 2025 Falcon 9 launches—more than 70% of them—have been dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation.” SpaceX has now launched nearly 10,000 Starlink satellites, dwarfing competitors like Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which only began deployment with 27 satellites in April 2025, according to Reuters.
This isn’t just about internet for remote cabins, either. In September, SpaceX announced a $17 billion purchase of wireless spectrum and filed with the FCC to launch up to 15,000 satellites for a hybrid satellite-cellular network. COO Gwynne Shotwell explained that this will allow phone makers and carriers to offer coverage “almost wholesale” from space, according to the Los Angeles Times. Telecom analyst Craig Moffett told the Times, “Cell towers, by and large, cover all the populous areas… but for rural customers, there are still significant parts of the day when you might be out of reach.”
SpaceX’s ambitions don’t stop at broadband. On September 24, a Falcon 9 carried three spacecraft into orbit, including NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), a mission designed to monitor solar winds and space weather. NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said, “This successful launch advances the space weather readiness of our nation to better protect our satellites, interplanetary missions, and space-faring astronauts from the dangers of space weather throughout the solar system.” The IMAP mission is critical as the U.S. prepares for future journeys to the Moon and Mars.
Speaking of the Moon, SpaceX’s super-heavy Starship rocket—at 403 feet, the largest ever built—finally achieved its first fully successful flight in August after three prior failures, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The next test, the eleventh, is already scheduled for October, with the company hoping to replicate its recent breakthrough. Starship isn’t just a technological marvel; it’s NASA’s ticket back to the lunar surface. The Artemis III mission, aiming to land astronauts on the Moon, relies on a Starship lunar lander. But industry experts, including consultant Laura Forczyk, are skeptical about the timeline, warning the mission could slip to 2030. “I hope that they prove me wrong, but when it comes to human spaceflight everything is delayed,” Forczyk told the Times.
Meanwhile, the International Space Station (ISS) remains a hive of activity. According to WhoIsInSpace.com, as of September 25, ten astronauts were in orbit across three stations. Seven are aboard the ISS, including the SpaceX Crew-11 team—Zena Cardman, Michael Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov—while the Soyuz MS-27 crew and three Chinese astronauts on Tiangong round out the list.
SpaceX’s dominance isn’t going unchallenged. Blue Origin’s New Glenn and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rockets are still in development, and Amazon’s Kuiper is only just entering the race. Notably, Jeff Bezos—owner of both Amazon and Blue Origin—has relied on SpaceX to launch Kuiper satellites, a testament to SpaceX’s unmatched cadence.
Yet, all this progress hasn’t come without pushback. Environmental and regulatory hurdles loom large. Conservation groups sued, claiming the FAA failed to complete a full environmental review for Starship launches, but a federal court dismissed the suit earlier this year. In California, the Coastal Commission unanimously rejected SpaceX’s request to nearly double annual launches at Vandenberg from 50 to 95, citing concerns over sonic booms and environmental impact. The U.S. Space Force, however, maintains that Vandenberg launches serve national security and scientific needs, making a full halt unlikely. Meanwhile, SpaceX recently paid about $500,000 to settle EPA allegations that its Texas facility improperly discharged cooling water into wetlands.
Despite these headwinds, SpaceX remains the world’s busiest launcher. Falcon 9 alone accounted for about half of all U.S. orbital missions through 2025, and the company’s valuation at one point soared to $400 billion, as noted by the Los Angeles Times. But the competition is heating up, not just from other rockets, but from regulatory bodies and environmental groups determined to ensure that the rush to space doesn’t trample Earthly concerns.
For everyday Americans, the impact is already tangible. Starlink terminals are showing up in rural areas, disaster zones, and even on moving vehicles and aircraft. SpaceX’s partnership with T-Mobile now allows texting in areas with no cell service, and the company is aggressively pursuing a future where “tens of thousands” more satellites could bring near-universal coverage.
As SpaceX barrels toward the close of 2025, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The company is racing to maintain its lead, prove Starship’s reliability for NASA’s lunar ambitions, and smooth out regulatory wrinkles—all while fending off new rivals and public scrutiny. The coming months will be crucial, with more launches on the schedule and the eyes of the world watching to see if SpaceX can keep its promises—or if the next giant leap will have to wait.