SpaceX’s third mission of 2026 is within the books.
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 29 of SpaceX’s Starlink web satellites lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Area Power Station on Friday (Jan. 9) at 4:41 p.m. EST (2141 GMT).
About 8.5 minutes later, the rocket’s first stage landed within the Atlantic Ocean on the drone ship “Simply Learn the Directions.” It was the twenty ninth launch and touchdown for this specific booster, in accordance with a SpaceX mission description.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 Starlink satellites from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Area Power Station on Jan. 9, 2026. (Picture credit score: SpaceX)
The Falcon 9’s higher stage deployed the 29 satellites into low Earth orbit on schedule about 65 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX introduced by way of X.
Starlink is by far the most important satellite tv for pc constellation ever assembled. It presently consists of greater than 9,400 lively spacecraft, and that quantity is rising on a regular basis.
Friday’s launch was SpaceX’s third of 2026. In 2025, the corporate launched 165 orbital missions, almost three-quarters of them devoted Starlink flights.
Breaking area information, the most recent updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!
