Washington, US: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (Space X) launched today 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
The corporation reported that the Falcon 9 rocket launched the satellites at the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, and successfully completed the mission approximately 50 minutes after liftoff.
After stage separation, the first-stage rocket landed on a SpaceX droneship in the Atlantic Ocean, about nine minutes after liftoff.
This launch was the 13th flight of the Falcon 9's first stage, Booster 1078, and SpaceX's fifth this year out of its 615 over the history of the company.
The fourth flight of the Falcon 9, booster 1097, launched on Dec. 4, 2025, deployed 28 satellites into their targeted orbit approximately one hour after liftoff.
The news follows SpaceX’s announcement of maneuvers that will lower about 4,400 of the company’s existing satellites from an altitude of 550 km to 480 km during 2026. SpaceX said it is making the change to increase space safety and accelerate satellite deorbiting when needed, which is a new technological approach they established this month.
Starlink’s constellation provides broadband internet access to many rural and underserved communities with little to no connectivity. Earlier this year, Starlink launched its first set of satellites for 2026, expanding its constellation size to now reaching 9,500 in-orbit satellites. This service provides in-flight Wi-Fi on aircrafts and enables direct-to-cell satellite connectivity through partnerships with mobile operators.
