Starlink Surpasses 10,000 Active Satellites in Orbit

SpaceX's Starlink Group 17-24 mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:19 p.m. PDT (0619 UTC March 17) carrying 25 Starlink satellites. The deployment pushed the active Starlink constellation past 10,000 satellites simultaneously in orbit for the first time — reached less than seven years after the first Starlink launch in May 2019. Total launched stood at 11,529, with 10,020 currently active, representing approximately two-thirds of all active satellites in Earth orbit. Booster B1088 completed its 14th flight and landed on drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' — the 184th landing on that vessel and SpaceX's 586th booster recovery overall. The launch also coincided with the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard's first liquid-propelled rocket flight.