Falcon 9 Launch Sends 29 Starlink Satellites To Orbit After Nearby Rocket Explosion

A Falcon 9 rocket carried 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on May 29, 2026, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 8:57 a.m. EDT.

SpaceX confirmed that the 29 satellites, part of Group 10-53, were successfully deployed about an hour after launch.

The launch came roughly 12 hours after a separate incident at Cape Canaveral, where Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Launch Complex 36 on the night of May 28, producing a large fireball visible from over 100 miles away.

The Falcon 9’s first stage, Booster 1085, completed its 16th flight and landed on the Atlantic Ocean-based droneship known as “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” before being scheduled for return and refurbishment.

The latest deployment increases the active Starlink satellite constellation to more than 10,400, according to satellite tracking data. The network is used to provide internet access in remote areas and also supports in-flight WiFi and direct-to-cell services on selected carriers.

The mission marked the 61st Falcon 9 launch of 2026 and the 644th overall flight for the rocket system since its introduction in 2010.