Overview
- SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 carrying 29 Starlink satellites to expand the company’s low-Earth-orbit broadband network.
- The mission will use a first-stage booster on its 12th flight and aims to recover the stage on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
- An earlier attempt to lift off was scrubbed, with officials saying poor weather likely contributed and range and forecast conditions remain central to timing and recovery.
- The flight is part of a high-cadence 2026 campaign that relies on repeated Falcon 9 reuse to accelerate constellation growth and reduce launch cost per satellite.
- Expanded Starlink coverage from these launches supports commercial plans such as planned in-flight Starlink Wi‑Fi for American Airlines in 2027 and broader broadband access for remote users.