Florida's Space Coast has seen its last planned Falcon 9 Starlink launch, at least for now. SpaceX has wrapped its East Coast Starlink campaign, moving those operations to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California while the company prepares to hand off that role to its next-generation Starship rocket at the Cape.
SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev noted the milestone, pointing out that the Falcon 9 flew approximately 260 Starlink missions from Cape Canaveral over the past seven years — a remarkable run by any measure. The shift doesn't mean Falcon 9 is disappearing from Florida skies, though. Both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy will continue flying from the Space Coast for other missions.
In fact, the near-term launch calendar remains busy. NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is slated to lift off on a Falcon Heavy this weekend, and Crew-13 is scheduled to ride a Falcon 9 to the International Space Station next month.
The big question is when Starship will be ready to take over Starlink duties here. Space analyst Ken Kremer of Space Up Close says the infrastructure at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center is still under construction, and he expects the first Starship launch from Florida is more likely to come early next year. NASA's Artemis III mission is adding some urgency to that timeline.
This report is based on coverage from WFTV Channel 9.
