SpaceX flies 116th mission of 2026

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 23. The vehicle carried 27 Starlink Group 15-15 satellites into orbit. This was the 116th Falcon 9 launch of the year.

The rocket lifted off from Pad 4E at 6:48 p.m. EDT. The first stage booster, designated B1063, separated from the upper stage after 2.5 minutes of flight. The payload fairing dropped away shortly before the three-minute mark. B1063 then turned back to Earth. It landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You eight minutes after liftoff. This marked the 36th successful landing for that specific booster. B1063 previously launched NASA’s DART mission in November 2021.

The upper stage coasted for 45 minutes before performing a final burn to reach orbit. Engineers scheduled the satellite deployment for 62 minutes after liftoff. The new group joins a constellation that now contains more than 11,000 active spacecraft.

This launch occurred during a period of reduced activity for the Falcon 9. The previous Starlink mission flew 11 days earlier. That prior launch was the first in more than three weeks. At their peak, these flights happened every two to three days.

SpaceX is shifting its focus to the larger Starship rocket. Starship is designed to carry Version 3 Starlink satellites, which are too large for the Falcon 9 payload bay. The company plans to retire the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy once Starship begins operational flights.

The transition is already affecting launch schedules. The 100th Falcon 9 launch of 2026 was the final Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A similar reduction may occur for West Coast launches. In 2025, the Falcon 9 completed 165 launches, its busiest year to date. At the current rate, it will fly just under 150 missions in 2026.