SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites On Successful Falcon 9 Mission

SpaceX has successfully launched its fourth mission of the year from the Space Coast, marking a significant milestone in the company’s ambitious launch schedule. A Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 29 Starlink satellites on the Starlink 6-98 mission, lifted off at 1:08 p. m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. This launch marked the 13th flight of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic. The Space Coast has witnessed a flurry of SpaceX activity in 2026, with all missions so far focused on the company’s Starlink program, sending up 29 satellites at a time.

According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, SpaceX has launched nearly 11,000 Starlink satellites since the first operational mission in 2019, with approximately 9,500 remaining in working order and about 8,200 in operational orbit. In related news, NASA has announced that the next crewed mission, Crew-12, is targeting a February 15 launch from Space Launch Complex 40. Notably, this will be the second time SpaceX has used SLC-40 for a Crew Dragon flight, having previously ← →