Watch Live: Historic Rocket Launch Today – See Liftoff Time, Stream Link & Mission Details

SpaceX successfully vaulted another batch of 28 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit during an early-morning Falcon 9 rocket launch today, October 16 2025. Liftoff occurred at 5:27 a.m. EDT (0927 UTC) from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Florida’s Space Coast. The mission—Starlink Group 10-52—marks the company’s 130th Falcon 9 flight of the year, underscoring CEO Elon Musk’s push toward a record-breaking launch cadence. About 8½ minutes after launch, the veteran first-stage booster (making its 14th flight) executed a precision landing on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, preserving reusability savings and clearing the way for rapid turnaround. Why today’s rocket launch matters • Expanding global broadband: The newly deployed satellites will join more than 6,000 operational Starlink craft, boosting network capacity and lowering latency for customers across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. • Traffic milestone: Today’s flight places SpaceX on pace to surpass 150 orbital launches in 2025, a figure that dwarfs annual tallies by any other launch provider. • Economic impact: Each successful booster recovery trims millions from mission costs, strengthening SpaceX’s competitive edge in the crowded commercial launch market. How to watch the next rocket launch SpaceX streams every mission on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube starting roughly 15 minutes before T-0. Bookmark spacex.com/launches for official countdown clocks and high-definition feeds, or follow local broadcaster WFTV for live Coast-to-Coast coverage and traffic advisories around Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral. Key stats from today’s launch • Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5 • Payload: 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites (total mass ≈ 18 metric tons) • Orbit: 53° inclined LEO, 550 km altitude • Booster landing: Droneship JRTI, Atlantic Ocean • Weather at launch: 90 % “go” conditions, winds 10 mph, scattered clouds What’s next NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission is set to ride a Falcon Heavy in two days, followed by another Starlink stack early next week. Residents along Florida’s Space Coast should expect back-to-back sonic booms and increased visitor traffic as the fall launch window intensifies. For travelers, prime viewing spots include Exploration Tower, Jetty Park, and Playalinda Beach. Arrive at least three hours early, tune in to Space Launch Delta 45’s X feed for road-closure updates, and bring ear protection—the double crack of a returning booster is part of the unforgettable “rocket-launch-today” experience.