CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan 6, 2026, 19:55 EST
- SpaceX is targeting a Jan. 8 Falcon 9 launch of 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
- The mission is part of a week featuring two Starlink flights and a California rideshare launch
- Starlink expansion comes as rival satellite-internet networks ramp up deployments
SpaceX is targeting a Jan. 8 launch of its Starlink 6-96 mission from Florida, aiming to add 29 satellites to its broadband constellation, the company said.
The launch matters because SpaceX is stacking missions early in 2026, with a schedule that includes two Starlink flights from Cape Canaveral and a rideshare launch from California in the same week, according to NASASpaceflight.com.
That pace underpins Starlink’s growth push as demand for satellite internet rises and low Earth orbit—an altitude band a few hundred miles above Earth—gets more crowded with commercial constellations.
Launch schedules show a four-hour window opening at 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 UTC) on Jan. 8 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, using a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster.
Competition is sharpening. Amazon said last year it began full-scale deployment of its Project Kuiper satellites, after a United Launch Alliance rocket carried 27 production spacecraft on its KA-01 mission.
SpaceX opened its 2026 Starlink deployment run on Jan. 4 with a Florida launch that put 29 satellites into orbit and marked the first flight of a new Falcon 9 booster, Space.com reported. “Deployment of 29 Starlink satellites confirmed,” SpaceX posted on X after the mission, the publication said. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-6-88-b1101-ccsfs-jrti
The next launches are not assured. Weather, range availability and last-minute technical issues routinely shift launch windows, and any slip can ripple through a week packed with missions and recovery operations in the Atlantic and Pacific.
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