SpaceX Reaches 100 Falcon Launches for 2026 With Latest Starlink Flight

SpaceX launched its 100th Falcon mission of 2026 on August 22, sending 27 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The company reached the century mark before the end of August, putting it on pace to well exceed 100 missions by year's end.

The Falcon 9 lifted off at 3:25 a.m. EDT (0725 GMT). It was the 99th Falcon 9 liftoff of the year and the 100th Falcon mission of 2026 overall. The one non Falcon 9 flight of the year was a Falcon Heavy mission that lofted the Viasat-3 F3 telecommunications satellite in April.

The first stage returned to Earth as planned, touching down about 8.5 minutes after launch atop the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. It was the ninth flight for this booster, designated B1100. The 27 Starlink satellites continued to low Earth orbit aboard the upper stage, deploying on schedule just under 62 minutes after liftoff. The mission was designated Starlink Group 15-20.

Starlink satellites are SpaceX's most common payload. Of this year's 99 Falcon 9 flights, 76 have been dedicated Starlink missions. Today's launch adds to what is already the largest satellite constellation ever built, with more than 11,000 operational Starlink spacecraft in orbit. Despite the pace, SpaceX still trails its single year Falcon launch record of 165, set in 2025, all of which were Falcon 9 flights.

The company has said it wants to launch 100,000 of its next generation Starlink V3 satellites and eventually operate a constellation of one million data centers in Earth orbit. Those spacecraft are intended to fly aboard SpaceX's Starship megarocket, which remains in development.

Reaching 100 orbital launches in under eight months from a single rocket family is a cadence no organization in history has matched. This launch frequency underpins SpaceX's market position and widens the gap on launch frequency and cost that any competitor would need to close.

If the current pace holds, SpaceX could finish 2026 with roughly 150 Falcon launches. The company would still need to sustain that rhythm through the remaining months of the year to approach or surpass its 2025 record.