SpaceX mission set to fly carrying 2,000th Starlink launched this year

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Aug 20, 2026

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It’s business as usual for SpaceX on Thursday with what would be the company’s 75th Starlink launch of the year as the orbiting constellation of satellites continues to grow.

A Falcon 9 loaded with 29 of the company’s broadband satellites on the Starlink 10-39 mission is targeting an 11:38 a.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a launch window from 11:19 a.m. to 3:19 p.m.

Among these 29 satellites are the 2,000th launched this year, with missions having been flown from both Florida and California.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts an 80% chance for good conditions at the opening of the window, but that will worsen to 40% by the end of the window. A similar forecast is in place if the mission were delayed a day.

This batch of Starlinks will bring the total to nearly 12,800 of the satellites launched since the first operational satellites were deployed in 2019. Nearly 10,000 of those are still operational, according to statistics maintained by astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

The first-stage booster for this mission is making its 30th trip to space and will attempt a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

It would be the 53rd launch from all providers on the Space Coast in 2026 with SpaceX responsible for all by seven of those. United Launch Alliance has flown five while Blue Origin with a New Glenn mission and NASA with the Artemis II flight were the other two.

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