SpaceX launches 1st Starlink satellites of 2026 on new Falcon 9 rocket

The first Starlink satellites to join SpaceX's megaconstellation in 2026 were launched today (Jan. 4) on a brand new Falcon 9 rocket.

"Deployment of 29 Starlink satellites confirmed," SpaceX posted to the social media network X.

The Falcon 9's first stage (Booster 1101) made its first return to Earth, touching down on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions," which was pre-staged in the Atlantic Ocean.

a night launch of an orbital rocket is seen on the horizon and reflected in a water body in the foreground — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's Starlink network, which is approaching 9,500 active satellites, provides access to broadband internet in areas around the world where connectively is otherwise sparse or nonexistent. This now includes Venezuela, after the U.S. raid on the country’s capital, seizing President Nicolás Maduro.

"Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity," SpaceX announced on X on Sunday.

The launch was SpaceX's second for 2026, 595th completed since 2008 and 555th landing since 2015.

Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.

In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world.

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