Sun Apr 13 02:00:00 UTC 2025: ## SpaceX Successfully Launches 21 Starlink Satellites After Two-Day Delay
**Cape Canaveral, FL** – SpaceX successfully launched its Starlink 12-17 mission at 8:53 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 12, from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A. The launch, carrying 21 Starlink internet satellites, followed two previous launch scrubs on Friday and Saturday morning, attributed to unspecified reasons. While weather concerns were raised on Saturday, clear skies ultimately prevailed for the launch.
The Falcon 9 rocket, utilizing a booster on its tenth mission, successfully deployed the satellites. The first stage booster executed a precision landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked a significant milestone for the reusable booster, which previously supported missions including NASA’s Crew-8 and the private Polaris Dawn mission.
The successful launch comes after a busy week for SpaceX, including a separate national security payload launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base earlier on Saturday. Another SpaceX launch is scheduled for no earlier than 9:59 p.m. on Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40. There is no new launch date yet for the Atlas V mission, scrubbed earlier this week due to weather. The launch was followed by an enthusiastic social media presence, with SpaceX’s live webcast attracting significant viewership.
First Piper 