SpaceX slows Falcon 9 pace

SpaceX launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on October 23, marking the 116th Falcon 9 flight of the year. The mission, identified as Starlink Group 15-15, lifted off from Pad 4E at 6:48 p.m. EDT. This launch occurs against a backdrop of slowing frequency, as the company pivots toward its next-generation Starship rocket.

The Falcon 9 rocket carried the satellites in a two-piece fairing that detached shortly before the three-minute mark. The first stage booster, designated B1063, separated from the upper stage after 2.5 minutes of flight. The booster then reoriented itself for return to Earth and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. This marked the 36th launch and landing for B1063, which also carried NASA's DART mission in 2021.

The upper stage was scheduled to complete a second burn to insert the satellites into low Earth orbit about 62 minutes after liftoff. This batch adds to a constellation that now includes more than 11,000 active spacecraft. However, the regularity of these launches has decreased as SpaceX shifts focus to Starship, which is designed for full reusability and carries larger Version 3 Starlink satellites that do not fit in the Falcon 9.

The gap between recent missions illustrates the change in cadence. The previous Starlink launch occurred 11 days before October 23, and that prior flight was the first in more than three weeks. At their peak, Falcon 9 missions flew every two to three days. The 100th launch of 2026, Starlink 10-49 from Cape Canaveral, is now understood to be the final Starlink mission from Florida's Space Coast.

SpaceX plans to phase out both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets once Starship begins operational flights. The reduced pace this year is expected to keep 2025, when the rocket completed 165 launches, as the busiest year in the vehicle's history. At the current rate, the Falcon 9 is projected to complete just under 150 missions by the end of 2026.