SpaceX conducted numerous Falcon 9 launches throughout 2026 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Missions primarily deployed Starlink broadband satellites for the company's internet constellation, with additional flights carrying rideshare payloads for commercial, government, and international customers. Key milestones included the constellation surpassing 10,000 active satellites, a new Falcon 9 reuse record, and a new turnaround record for launches from the same pad.
Overview of Falcon 9 Launches in 2026
SpaceX launched Falcon 9 rockets from both its East Coast (Cape Canaveral, Florida) and West Coast (Vandenberg, California) facilities. Missions were designated as either Starlink deliveries or dedicated rideshare flights.
Starlink Satellite Deployments
The Starlink constellation, designed to provide broadband internet service, expanded significantly during this period. Below is a summary of documented Starlink missions:
Mission Designation Launch Date (2026) Launch Site Satellites Deployed Booster & Flight Number Group 17-24 March 17 Vandenberg 25 B1088 (14th flight) Group 10-46 March 17 Cape Canaveral 29 B1090 (11th flight) Group 17-25 February 21 Vandenberg 25 B1063 (31st flight) Group 6-104 February 21/22 Cape Canaveral 28 B1067 (33rd flight, new reuse record) Group 10-62 Unspecified Cape Canaveral 29 B1078 (27th flight) Group 10-48 March 14 Cape Canaveral 29 B1095 Group 17-31 March 13 Vandenberg 25 B1071 Group 17-27 Unspecified Vandenberg 25 B1082 (21st flight) Group 6-98 Unspecified Cape Canaveral 29 B1085 (13th flight) Group 6-88 January 4 Cape Canaveral 29 B1101 (1st flight) Group 17-32 February 2 Vandenberg 25 B1071 (31st flight) Group 17-33 February 7 Vandenberg 25 B1088 (13th flight) Group 17-15 Unspecified Vandenberg 25 B1100 (4th flight) Group 17-13 Unspecified Vandenberg 24 B1081 (22nd flight) Group 17-18 March 8 Vandenberg 25 B1097 (7th flight) Starlink 17-29 May 5 Vandenberg 24 B1081 (24th mission) Starlink 17-32 February Vandenberg 25 B1071 (31st flight)Key Starlink Statistics:
- As of the March 17 launches, the Starlink constellation comprised over 10,000 active satellites, nearly seven years after its first launch in May 2019.
- An additional 1,509 Starlink satellites launched since May 2019 had reentered Earth's atmosphere by that date.
- By the time of later missions, the number of active satellites was reported to exceed 9,700 and then 9,900 on different dates.
Notable Rideshare and Government Missions
CAS500-2 and Rideshare Launch
A Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying 45 satellites. The primary payload was CAS500-2, an Earth-observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) / Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI). The satellite was originally scheduled for launch on a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2022 but was delayed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This booster (B1071) was scheduled to land at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg.
Secondary payloads (44 total) included:
- Exolaunch: Deploying 21 CubeSats and 18 MicroSats.
- Argotec: Seven HEO MicroSats for the IRIDE constellation, supported by ESA.
- Loft Orbital and EarthDaily Analytics: Six Earth observation satellites as part of a planned constellation.
- True Anomaly: Its fourth Jackal autonomous orbital vehicle.
- Planet Labs: Pelican Earth-observing satellites.
- Lynk Global: Two Lynk Tower satellites for direct-to-device connectivity.
- GalaxEye: Mission Drishti, described as India's largest privately built Earth observation satellite.
Transporter-16 Rideshare Mission
SpaceX launched its Transporter-16 rideshare mission from Vandenberg, deploying 119 payloads, including cubesats, microsats, hosted payloads, a reentry vehicle, and orbital transfer vehicles. This was the 16th mission in the Transporter series.
Key Operational Milestones
- New Falcon 9 Reuse Record: Booster B1067 completed its 33rd flight during the Starlink Group 6-104 launch on February 21-22.
- New Pad Turnaround Record: A Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral just 45 hours after the previous launch from the same pad, surpassing the previous record of 50 hours and 44 minutes.
- Constellation Size: The Starlink constellation reached and exceeded 10,000 active satellites in orbit in March 2026.
Launch Anomaly and Investigation
SpaceX paused launches after the Starlink 17-32 mission on February 2, 2026, experienced an "off-nominal condition" during the second stage's preparation for a deorbit burn.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversaw and accepted SpaceX's investigation findings.
Findings:
- The probable root cause was a failed ignition of the Falcon 9 second stage engine, caused by a gas bubble in the transfer tube.
- The vehicle passivated as designed and reentered Earth's atmosphere approximately 10.5 hours later over the Southern Indian Ocean.
Remediation and Return to Flight:
- SpaceX implemented technical and organizational preventative measures.
- The FAA subsequently authorized the Falcon 9 vehicle to return to flight.
- NASA assessed the mishap and concluded there was no increased risk to crew safety for upcoming crewed missions due to different deorbit profiles.
- SpaceX resumed launches with the Starlink 17-33 mission on February 7, 2026.
Launch Site and Booster Summary
SpaceX conducted launches from:
- Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
- Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Booster Landing Statistics (as reported at various times):
- Drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas': Over 149 successful landings.
- Drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You': Over 195 successful landings.
- Drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions': Over 153 successful landings.
- Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4): 34 successful landings.
- Total Falcon booster landings: Exceeded 600.