SpaceX launches the 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX launched its 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026 with an early morning Falcon 9 rocket launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Starlink 10-24 project will launch 29 broadband internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. This was SpaceX’s 37th dedicated Starlink mission of the year, and with payload release more than an hour after launch, the company will have launched 1,002 satellites into orbit this year alone.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 5:33:10 a.m. EDT (09:33:10 UTC). After departing the pad, the rocket will follow a north-easterly trajectory.
The 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 95 percent chance of suitable weather for the launch window. There was a slight probability of interference from thick clouds in the area.
SpaceX launched the mission with the Falcon 9 first stage rocket, tail number 1080. This was the 26th flight, following missions such as Axiom Mission 2, Axiom Mission 3, and CRS-30.
B1080 landed aboard the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ in the Atlantic Ocean around 8.5 minutes after takeoff. This was the 157th booster landing on this vessel and the 598th booster landing overall.