SpaceX Keeps Starlink Momentum with Rapid Falcon 9 Launches

SpaceX is showing no signs of slowing down its Starlink satellite deployment campaign. February 2026 has already seen multiple Falcon 9 launches from both Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, pushing the constellation ever closer to its 12,000-satellite initial target.

A Month of Milestones and Recovery

The month began with a brief setback. On February 2, a Falcon 9 launched 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites from Vandenberg, but an upper stage anomaly occurred before the planned deorbit burn. SpaceX identified the cause as a gas bubble in the transfer tube that prevented the second stage from re-igniting. The stage safely passivated and reentered Earth's atmosphere over the Southern Indian Ocean roughly 10.5 hours later.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded the Falcon 9 fleet while SpaceX conducted its anomaly investigation. Within four days the FAA accepted SpaceX's findings and corrective actions, and on February 7 the company returned to flight with another successful Starlink mission from California.

The quick turnaround underscored the maturity of SpaceX's investigation process and the FAA's confidence in the company's engineering rigor.

600th Falcon 9 Takes Flight

On February 14, SpaceX reached a landmark moment - the 600th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket. The Starlink 17-13 mission lifted off from Vandenberg at 5

p.m. PT, delivering 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. Booster B1081 landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean, marking the 178th landing on that vessel and the 571st booster recovery overall.

The milestone came just hours after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivered astronauts to the International Space Station, highlighting the sheer operational tempo the company now sustains across multiple programs.

February Launch Cadence

SpaceX maintained a steady drumbeat of Starlink missions throughout the month:

Constellation Growth and FCC Expansion

The Starlink constellation now numbers more than 9,700 satellites in low Earth orbit, making it the largest satellite constellation ever assembled. The network serves over 10 million subscribers worldwide, a figure the company crossed earlier this month after reaching 9 million in December 2025.

In January the FCC gave SpaceX the green light to expand its approved constellation from roughly 12,000 to 15,000 satellites, a 50% increase that provides room for continued growth. SpaceX is also preparing to introduce its next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, designed to launch aboard Starship.

Dual-Coast Operations Power the Pace

SpaceX's ability to launch from both coasts simultaneously is a key enabler of its cadence. Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 40 handles missions targeting mid-inclination orbits, while Vandenberg's SLC-4E serves polar and sun-synchronous slots essential for global Starlink coverage. The company has also continued to shorten pad turnaround times, setting a new record at Cape Canaveral in January.

With dozens more Starlink missions on the manifest for 2026 and Starship poised to dramatically increase per-launch satellite capacity, SpaceX's satellite internet network is on track to become one of the most significant commercial space infrastructure projects in history.