SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California as Falcon 9 cadence slows (photos)

SpaceX launched its newest batch of Starlink broadband internet satellites today (Oct. 23) from the California coast.The spacecraft, Starlink Group 15-15, were stacked 27 high inside the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6:48 p.m. EDT (2248 GMT; 3:48 p.m. local time in California).The rocket's first stage booster, designated B1063, executed its main engine cutoff and stage separation about 2.5 minutes into flight, sending the second stage to continue onward to low Earth orbit (LEO). The vehicle's two-piece protective payload fairing was jettisoned just before T+3 minutes.The Falcon 9's first stage, shortly after its drone-ship landing on Oct. 23, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)The booster, meanwhile, reoriented for its descent back to Earth. As the mission clock passed 8 minutes, B1063 began its landing burn, and it touched down about 20 seconds later on SpaceX's droneship "Of Course I Still Love You." This was the 36th launch and landing for B1063, which notably launched NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission in November 2021.The Falcon 9's upper stage completed its first engine burn shortly after B1063 landed and will coast for about 45 minutes before initiating a second and final orbital insertion burn. Following that burn's execution, deployment of the vehicle's 27 satellites into LEO is scheduled to begin 62 minutes after launch.Previous Booster B1063 launchesSentinel-6 Michael Freilich | DART | Transporter-7 | Iridium OneWeb | SDA-0B | NROL-113 | NROL-167 | NROL-149 | NAOS | 26 Starlink missionsToday's Starlink liftoff adds to SpaceX's growing constellation of more than 11,000 active spacecraft. But Starlinks aren't launching quite as often as they used to, as SpaceX shifts its focus from the Falcon 9 to its bigger and more powerful Starship rocket.Starship is designed for full reusability and is equipped with a payload bay outfitted to accommodate SpaceX's upgraded Version 3 Starlink satellites, which are too large for the workhorse Falcon 9. Starship is still under development, but once the rocket begins operational flights (and that day is getting closer), SpaceX plans to phase out the Falcon 9 and its Falcon Heavy variant almost entirely.Falcon 9's 100th launch of 2026 was the Starlink 10-49 group from SpaceX's pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which was later revealed to be the final Falcon 9 Starlink mission that would fly from Florida's Space Coast. The same might soon be true for Starlink launches from the West Coast as well.The reduction in missions lifting off from Florida has slowed Falcon 9's Starlink launch cadence considerably. At their peak, these missions were flying every two to three days. But the most recent one before today lifted off 11 days ago, and that launch itself was the first Starlink mission in more than three weeks. Today's launch was the 116th Falcon 9 flight so far in 2026, with about three-quarters of those being dedicated to Starlink. The reduced cadence will likely solidify 2025 as the Falcon 9's busiest year ever, with 165 launches completed. At its current rate, the Falcon 9 is expected to fly just under 150 missions by the end of this year.