SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets another batch of Starlink satellites and lands its booster on a sea‑borne drone ship

At 10:26 a.m. EDT (7:26 a.m. Pacific) the familiar rumble of a Falcon 9 rose out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, cutting through an unusually clear California morning. The rocket’s payload? Twenty‑seven fresh Starlink internet satellites destined for low‑Earth orbit.

The ascent was textbook – the nine‑engine first stage thrusting for just over two minutes before separating. While the upper stage continued its journey, the booster, officially labeled B1088, began the now‑routine ballet of turning back toward the ocean.

Eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the first stage gently kissed the surface of the Pacific aboard SpaceX’s autonomous drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You.” It was the 19th flight for this particular booster, putting it roughly halfway to the company’s all‑time record of 37 re‑flights set by booster B1067.

The upper stage, meanwhile, stayed on course and, exactly 62 minutes after launch, released the 27 Starlink satellites into their designated orbit. Those new spacecraft join a constellation that now tops 11,000 active units, according to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

This mission marked the 103rd Falcon 9 flight of 2026, and the 80th dedicated to expanding the Starlink network – the largest satellite constellation ever assembled. All Starlink missions have lately been launched from Vandenberg; launches from Florida are on pause while SpaceX prepares its next‑gen Starship to handle the upcoming V3‑type satellites.

Elon Musk has hinted that the eventual goal is a megaconstellation of roughly 100,000 V3 satellites, each larger and more capable than today’s V2 units. For now, though, the quiet Californian coast enjoyed a brief glimpse of rocket power, and the drone ship once again proved its worth in the endless quest to keep the internet beaming down from space.