SpaceX slows Falcon 9 pace as Starship development continues

SpaceX deployed 27 new Starlink satellites on Oct. 23, marking a continued slowdown in the launch cadence of its primary workhorse, the Falcon 9. The spacecraft, identified as Group 15-15, lifted off from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:48 p.m. local time. This launch was the 116th Falcon 9 flight of the year, a number that stands well below the record pace seen in previous years.

The mission involved booster B1063, which separated from the upper stage 2.5 minutes after liftoff. The booster returned to Earth and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You roughly 20 seconds after its landing burn began. This was the 36th time B1063 had flown and landed, a vehicle that previously carried NASA's DART mission in 2021. The upper stage completed its first burn shortly after the booster landed and was scheduled to coast for 45 minutes before the final orbital insertion burn.

The 27 satellites were set to begin deployment into low Earth orbit 62 minutes after liftoff. This addition brings the total number of active Starlink spacecraft to more than 11,000. Despite the growing constellation, the frequency of these specific launches has dropped as the company prioritizes its next-generation vehicle. Starship is designed for full reusability and carries a payload bay large enough for Version 3 Starlink satellites, which are too big for the Falcon 9.

The shift in strategy is evident in recent launch schedules. The previous Starlink mission launched 11 days before Oct. 23, and that flight was the first in more than three weeks. At their peak, Falcon 9 Starlink missions flew every two to three days. The 100th Falcon 9 launch of 2026, which carried the Starlink 10-49 group from Cape Canaveral, was the final Starlink mission to fly from Florida's Space Coast. Similar gaps are now appearing on the West Coast.

SpaceX plans to phase out the Falcon 9 and its heavier variant, the Falcon Heavy, almost entirely once Starship begins operational flights. The reduced activity in 2026 is likely to cement 2025 as the rocket's busiest year, a year in which it completed 165 launches. Based on the current rate of flights, the rocket is expected to finish the year with just under 150 missions, a clear decline from the peak numbers recorded last year.

The company continues to use the Falcon 9 for other payloads, with about three-quarters of this year's 116 launches dedicated to Starlink. The remaining flights supported other commercial and government missions. The transition to Starship remains in the development phase, but the decreasing number of Starlink batches launched by Falcon 9 signals a structural change in how SpaceX builds its internet network.