SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried a fresh batch of Starlink satellites to orbit Tuesday, lifting off at 11:58 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The midday launch climbed into clear skies without triggering any sonic booms over Brevard County, as the mission's first-stage booster completed its return landing on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tuesday's flight counted as Florida's 51st rocket launch of 2026 — a solid clip, though still well behind the record-setting pace of 2025, when the state logged 109 launches over the full year.
Space Coast watchers won't have to wait long for the next one. SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 9:12 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, for its next Falcon 9 mission, also departing from Launch Complex 40. That flight will deliver satellites for the Globalstar 2-R mission, and unlike Tuesday's launch, the booster is expected to return to Landing Zone 40 near the pad — meaning Brevard County residents can expect a sonic boom. The launch window is just 15 minutes, so timing will be tight.
This story was reported by Brooke Edwards of Florida Today.
