Updated: December 4, 2025
SpaceX heads into the final weeks of 2025 with its launch cadence still accelerating, a new green light to fly Starship from Florida, a politically charged NASA confirmation fight centered on a frequent SpaceX customer, and fresh Starlink expansion moves in Asia.
Below is a full roundup of the most important SpaceX developments as of December 4, 2025.
Key Points
- Starlink 11‑25: SpaceX is targeting another Falcon 9 launch today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 28 Starlink V2‑mini satellites and aiming for a droneship landing in the Pacific. [1]
- Record 2025 cadence: Tuesday’s Starlink 6‑95 mission from Florida marked SpaceX’s 160th mission of the year and the 155th Falcon 9 flight in 2025, underscoring an unprecedented launch tempo. [2]
- Starship Florida pad approved: The U.S. Air Force has formally cleared SpaceX to turn Space Launch Complex‑37 at Cape Canaveral into a Starship launch site, potentially enabling up to 76 Starship launches and 152 landings per year from that pad alone. [3]
- Crew Dragon shake‑up: Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been removed from SpaceX’s Crew‑12 mission to the ISS after allegations he violated U.S. national‑security export rules while training at SpaceX’s Hawthorne facility. [4]
- Starlink expands in Asia: Starlink has unveiled consumer and enterprise plans for South Korea and is edging closer to full commercial service in India, following regulatory approvals and pilot deals. [5]
- Competitive pressure builds: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explored a multi‑billion‑dollar deal with rocket startup Stoke Space that would have put him in direct competition with SpaceX, while China’s LandSpace struggles in its first big reusable‑rocket test. [6]
- Crypto sidebar: SpaceX has moved 1,163 BTC (about $105 million) into new custody wallets, in what analysts describe as a security and infrastructure update rather than a sale. [7]
Starlink 11‑25: Today’s Falcon 9 Launch from Vandenberg
SpaceX’s next mission on the calendar is Starlink Group 11‑25, a Falcon 9 launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC‑4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2025.
According to launch tracking site NextSpaceflight and local media: [8]
- Launch window: roughly 10:12 a.m. – 2:12 p.m. Pacific Time, with some updates suggesting a refined target near 12:25 p.m. PT (20:25 UTC) as weather and range allow.
- Payload: 28 Starlink V2‑mini satellites for SpaceX’s second‑generation broadband constellation in low Earth orbit. [9]
- Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5; booster B1097 flying for the fourth time, with a planned landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” stationed in the Pacific. [10]
- Mission role: Base officials describe the launch as supporting military communications via Starlink’s low‑Earth‑orbit infrastructure. [11]
The mission’s statistics highlight just how far SpaceX has scaled its operations:
- 574th Falcon 9 mission overall
- 601st SpaceX mission overall
- 161st SpaceX mission in 2025
- 289th orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2025 [12]
Residents across parts of coastal California — including Montecito, Carpinteria, Ojai and Ventura — may hear a sonic boom 8–10 minutes after liftoff, while communities near Vandenberg will feel the familiar low rumble of launch, local notices warn. [13]
A Record‑Breaking Week: Back‑to‑Back Starlink Launches from Florida and California
Today’s Vandenberg mission caps a frenetic stretch of launches that has seen SpaceX firing Falcon 9 rockets from both coasts almost back‑to‑back.
Starlink 6‑95: 29 satellites from Cape Canaveral
On Tuesday, December 2, a Falcon 9 launched 29 Starlink satellites (Group 6‑95) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 5:18 p.m. EST (22:18 GMT). [14]
Key details from Space.com’s mission report: [15]
- The satellites were successfully deployed about 65 minutes after launch.
- Booster B1077 completed its 25th flight, landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic.
- The mission marked the 155th Falcon 9 flight of 2025 and SpaceX’s 160th mission this year as of December 2.
December 1: Evening Starlink launch from Vandenberg
Just a day earlier, on December 1, SpaceX launched the Starlink 15‑10 mission from Vandenberg, adding 27 Starlink satellites to orbit. Spaceflight Now notes the launch occurred Monday evening, with confirmation of successful deployment early on December 2. [16]
December 1/Nov 30: Predawn Starlink 6‑86 from Florida
The month kicked off with a predawn Starlink 6‑86 flight from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which delivered yet another batch of satellites and saw the booster land offshore. [17]
Combined with November’s Transporter‑15 rideshare mission, which lofted 140 spacecraft on a single Falcon 9, SpaceX is closing out 2025 with an operational rhythm more reminiscent of an airline than a traditional launch provider. [18]
Starship Gets a Florida Home: SLC‑37 Approved for Megarocket Launches
The biggest long‑term development for SpaceX this week did not involve a launch at all, but a major infrastructure approval.
On December 3, the U.S. Air Force confirmed that SpaceX has been granted permission to develop Space Launch Complex‑37 (SLC‑37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as a Starship launch site, following a lengthy environmental review. [19]
According to the Record of Decision and reporting from Space.com and Spanish outlet CincoDías: [20]
- SLC‑37 can host up to 76 Starship launches and 152 landings per year, pending FAA airspace assessments.
- The approval follows public hearings focused on impacts to local wildlife — including species such as the Florida scrub‑jay, eastern indigo snake, tricolored bat and southeastern beach mouse — and commits the Air Force to mitigation measures like habitat restoration and noise controls. [21]
- Construction work at SLC‑37 has already begun, including new launch towers, propellant farms and transport infrastructure. [22]
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk highlighted the decision on X, saying that with SLC‑37 added to LC‑39A and other Florida assets, Starship will be positioned to support both U.S. national security missions and NASA’s Artemis lunar program. [23]
All 11 Starship test flights so far have launched from Starbase in South Texas, so a Florida pad represents both risk diversification and a key step toward higher‑cadence, operational Starship missions. [24]
Crew‑12 Shock: Cosmonaut Removed from Upcoming SpaceX ISS Mission
Even as rockets fly, SpaceX’s human‑spaceflight branch is dealing with a sensitive international incident.
On December 2, Space.com reported that veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been removed from SpaceX’s Crew‑12 mission to the International Space Station, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than February 2026. [25]
According to the report and Russian investigative outlet The Insider: [26]
- Artemyev was originally assigned to the four‑person Crew‑12 flight, but has been replaced by cosmonaut Andrei Fedyayev.
- Roscosmos publicly attributed the change to Artemyev’s “transfer to another job,” yet The Insider claims he was removed after allegedly photographing SpaceX documentation and hardware at the company’s Hawthorne, California headquarters and then transferring that imagery, in violation of ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations).
- Sources cited by The Insider and a launch analyst quoted in the article say an inter‑departmental U.S. investigation is underway.
If confirmed, it would be a rare instance where U.S. export‑control law directly disrupts a joint ISS crew assignment, underscoring how intertwined — and fragile — international partnerships have become in the era of commercial crew flights.
Starlink’s Global Expansion: Korea Launches, India Prepares
While launch cadence grabs headlines, Starlink’s terrestrial footprint continues to grow.
South Korea: Pricing, partners and maritime focus
The Korea JoongAng Daily reports that Starlink Korea has formally unveiled its satellite internet plans and reseller ecosystem: [27]
- Residential plan:
- 87,000 won (~$59) per month for unlimited data
- 550,000 won hardware cost for the standard kit (dish, router, cabling and power unit)
- Business plan:
- Monthly pricing starting at 90,000 won, with the same hardware cost.
- Distribution & use cases:
- Satellite operator KT SAT and carrier SK Telink are licensed resellers.
- Agreements are in place to deploy Starlink on merchant fleets (KLCSM and Pan Ocean) and within Lotte World Tower, South Korea’s tallest skyscraper, for disaster‑resilient communications.
Although speeds (around 135 Mbps down / 40 Mbps up) lag Korea’s ultra‑fast 5G averages, the article notes that Starlink’s appeal lies in reliable connectivity “anywhere” — from mountains and islands to offshore shipping lanes. [28]
India: Regulatory green lights and pilot deals
In India, Starlink is edging closer to full commercial launch:
- Regulatory approvals: Reuters reported in July that Starlink received its final regulatory authorization from India’s space regulator IN‑SPACe, building on earlier telecom licences. The approval is valid for five years. [29]
- State‑level pilot: Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to sign a Letter of Intent with Starlink to deliver satellite internet to government institutions and rural districts as part of a “Digital Maharashtra” initiative. [30]
- Launch timeline and pricing: Tech outlets now expect commercial Starlink service in India as early as Q1 2026, with setup costs estimated at ₹30,000–35,000 and monthly plans in the ₹3,000–4,200 range. [31]
- Musk’s messaging: In recent interviews and podcast appearances, Musk has said Starlink is “ready to operate in India” and is focused on low‑cost, reliable rural connectivity, not competing directly with big telcos in dense cities. [32]
Taken together, Starlink’s moves in Korea and India point toward Asia becoming a major growth engine for SpaceX’s connectivity business in 2026 and beyond.
NASA’s Future and SpaceX’s Role: Jared Isaacman’s High‑Stakes Hearing
On December 3, billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman — who has funded and commanded two SpaceX Crew Dragon missions and is behind the Polaris program — appeared before the U.S. Senate for a second confirmation hearing as President Trump’s nominee to lead NASA. [33]
Coverage from Reuters, AP and other outlets highlights several themes with direct implications for SpaceX: [34]
- Isaacman warned that the U.S. must “beat China to the Moon” or risk long‑term geopolitical consequences, emphasizing urgency in crewed lunar missions.
- Senators repeatedly pressed him on his close ties to SpaceX and Elon Musk, noting that SpaceX holds roughly $15 billion in NASA contracts and that Isaacman’s Polaris missions rely on SpaceX hardware. [35]
- Isaacman insisted he would be independent from Musk if confirmed and reiterated prior promises to cancel remaining Polaris flights and step back from Shift4 to avoid conflicts of interest. [36]
- He expressed support for re‑competing the lunar lander contract, potentially reshaping the balance between SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. [37]
For SpaceX, an Isaacman‑led NASA could be a mixed bag:
- On one hand, he is a highly SpaceX‑literate administrator‑nominee who has literally flown their vehicles.
- On the other, his public stance on competition in lunar landing and potential budget pressures suggests NASA may seek to avoid over‑dependence on any single provider — including SpaceX.
New Rivals at the Gate: Altman’s Stoke Space Talks and China’s LandSpace Setback
SpaceX’s dominance is also encouraging new entrants and challengers.
Sam Altman and Stoke Space
A CoinCentral analysis, citing reporting originally surfaced by the Wall Street Journal, says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spent the summer and fall of 2025 exploring a deal to acquire or partner with rocket startup Stoke Space, backed by multi‑billion‑dollar equity investments. [38]
Key points: [39]
- Stoke Space, founded by former Blue Origin engineers, is building a fully reusable rocket with ambitions similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Starship programs.
- Altman reportedly saw Stoke as a platform to launch AI data centers into space, reducing Earth‑side energy and land demands for high‑density compute.
- The talks are now inactive, but the episode underscores how AI and space launch are converging, and how high‑capital tech leaders are eyeing SpaceX’s turf.
China’s LandSpace and the difficulty of reusability
On the other side of the world, China’s LandSpace suffered a setback when its Zhuque‑3 reusable rocket failed to complete its first controlled landing test, ending with an “abnormal combustion event,” Reuters reports. [40]
The incident highlights:
- How far competitors still have to go to match SpaceX’s decade‑plus head start in routine booster recovery and reuse.
- That even with promising designs, closing the loop on reuse is technically brutal, and SpaceX’s data advantage from hundreds of landings remains a formidable moat.
SpaceX and Bitcoin: Quietly Reshaping Its Crypto Treasury
Away from launch pads and policy hearings, SpaceX has made a notable behind‑the‑scenes financial move.
Crypto‑tracking reports from CoinCentral and other analytics‑based outlets show that in late November, SpaceX transferred 1,163 BTC — approximately $105 million at the time — from long‑dormant addresses to new custody wallets, likely linked to Coinbase Prime. [41]
According to these analyses:
- The transactions used modern SegWit address formats, improving security and efficiency. [42]
- There is no evidence of immediate liquidation; the funds appear to have simply been moved to updated custodial arrangements. [43]
- SpaceX’s on‑chain holdings are still estimated around 6,095 BTC, down from historical peaks but substantial by corporate standards. [44]
This looks more like treasury housekeeping than a speculative bet, but it reinforces that SpaceX remains an influential institutional holder in the Bitcoin ecosystem. (Nothing here should be taken as investment advice.)
What It All Means for SpaceX as of December 4, 2025
Taken together, the flurry of developments around December 4, 2025 paints a clear picture of where SpaceX stands:
- Operationally, the company is sustaining an unmatched launch cadence, with 160 missions already flown in 2025 and more Starlink flights on the books in the coming days. [45]
- Strategically, approval to develop SLC‑37 for Starship in Florida is a major step toward high‑frequency, heavy‑lift operations that can support everything from lunar landings and Mars architecture to massive constellation deployments and national‑security missions. [46]
- Commercially, Starlink is evolving from a primarily Western rural‑connectivity solution into a global infrastructure layer, with concrete moves in South Korea and India foreshadowing large, diverse revenue streams in Asia. [47]
- Politically and institutionally, SpaceX’s fortunes are increasingly intertwined with NASA leadership choices and U.S. defense priorities, as seen in both the Isaacman hearing and the Starship SLC‑37 decision. [48]
- Competitively, challengers from AI‑backed U.S. startups to Chinese reusable‑rocket programs are clearly aiming at SpaceX, but the latest news underlines how difficult it is to close the reliability and cadence gap. [49]
For now, SpaceX remains the central gravitational force in global launch and satellite broadband, and December 4’s Starlink 11‑25 flight is less an isolated event than another data point in a year that’s redefining what “normal” looks like in orbital operations.
References
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