After weeks of routing its Starlink missions through California, SpaceX is bringing the action back to Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off no earlier than 10:49 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a window extending to 2:49 p.m. if needed. The mission, designated Starlink 10-19, will deliver 29 Starlink internet satellites to orbit.
The last time SpaceX launched its Starlink constellation from Florida was July 14. Since then, those missions shifted exclusively to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California while Cape Canaveral's LC-40 pad supported a satellite servicing mission, a national security flight, and a launch for AST SpaceMobile. Monday's liftoff also happens to coincide with the first day of school for most Brevard County students.
The upcoming launch will be Florida's 51st of 2026 — a notably quieter pace than last year's record-setting 109 launches, 101 of which were SpaceX missions. Much of the slowdown comes from SpaceX consolidating all Falcon 9 operations to a single pad while crews finish outfitting Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A as a Starship launch site, with a possible Florida Starship liftoff targeted before year's end. Pad 39A is still active for the rare Falcon Heavy mission, with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope targeting an Aug. 30 launch from that site.
Elsewhere on Florida's Space Coast, Blue Origin has traced the cause of its May New Glenn explosion to an oxygen valve failure and is rebuilding Launch Complex 36, while United Launch Alliance has its next Vulcan rocket at the pad for testing ahead of a return-to-flight attempt — though neither has a confirmed launch date yet.
This story is based on reporting by Brooke Edwards for Florida Today.
