SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites as Falcon 9 flights slow
The company's workhorse rocket completed its 116th mission of 2026, marking an 11-day gap in launches as it shifts focus to Starship.
By Thomas Obasi ·
SpaceX launched 27 Starlink broadband satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 23. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Pad 4E at 3:48 p.m. local time, carrying Starlink Group 15-15 into orbit. This flight marks the 116th Falcon 9 mission of 2026.
The launch gap between this mission and the previous Starlink flight was 11 days. That prior launch itself occurred after a silence of more than three weeks. At its peak, the rocket flew every two to three days. The current schedule reflects a deliberate reduction in activity as the company reallocates resources toward its next generation of vehicles.
Booster B1063 recovered after the flight, touching down on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. This was the 36th launch and landing for the specific booster. It previously carried NASA's DART asteroid deflection mission in November 2021. The upper stage completed its insertion burn, and satellite deployment began 62 minutes after liftoff.
The Starlink constellation now exceeds 11,000 active spacecraft. SpaceX is transitioning its heavy lifting to Starship, a larger rocket designed for full reusability. Starship has a payload bay sized for Version 3 Starlink satellites, which are too large for the Falcon 9. Once Starship operations begin in earnest, the company plans to phase out the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy almost entirely.
The shift is already evident in launch statistics. The 100th Falcon 9 launch of 2026, a Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral, was the final Starlink flight from Florida's Space Coast. West Coast Starlink launches may follow that pattern soon. In 2025, the Falcon 9 completed 165 launches, a record total that appears set to stand. At the current pace, the rocket is expected to fly just under 150 missions by the end of 2026.
About three-quarters of the Falcon 9's 2026 launches have dedicated to Starlink. The reduction in cadence confirms that 2025 was the busiest year in the rocket's history. The Oct. 23 mission added to the fleet while underscoring the changing role of the Falcon 9 in SpaceX's operations.
