SpaceX has surpassed 10,000 active Starlink satellites after launching 54 spacecraft across two Falcon 9 missions on March 17. The Vandenberg launch carried the milestone 10,000th satellite while Booster 1088 completed its 14th flight and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. A second launch from Cape Canaveral added 29 satellites and returned Booster 1090 for its 11th recovery on A Shortfall of Gravitas. The constellation now totals 10,049 satellites, with all but 10 reported operational.
SpaceX Surpasses 10,000 Active Starlink Satellites After Two Falcon 9 Launches
Credit: SpaceX
Almost seven years after beginning to build its low Earth orbit broadband network, SpaceX has passed the 10,000-active-satellite milestone for its Starlink constellation.
Two Falcon 9 Missions Add 54 Satellites
On March 17 SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 missions carrying a combined 54 Starlink internet-relay satellites. The first mission, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, delivered 25 satellites and included the milestone 10,000th active Starlink. A second Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida launched 29 additional satellites later that day.
Fleet Status and Reentries
According to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, the Starlink constellation now numbers 10,049 satellites, and all but 10 of those are reported to be operational. Since the program began in May 2019, an additional 1,509 Starlink craft were launched but have since reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX
Booster Highlights
The Vandenberg flight carried Starlink group 17–24 and lifted from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 1:19 a.m. EDT (0519 GMT). That mission’s Falcon 9 first stage, Booster 1088, completed its 14th flight and successfully landed on the Pacific droneship Of Course I Still Love You.
The Cape Canaveral launch, carrying Starlink group 10–46, departed Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 9:27 a.m. EDT (1327 GMT). Its Falcon 9 first stage, Booster 1090, returned to Earth and touched down on the Atlantic-positioned droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, marking the booster’s 11th recovery.
Program Milestones
The Cape Canaveral mission marked SpaceX’s 34th Falcon 9 launch of the year and the 378th Starlink deployment in the company’s program history.
Note: All technical details and the operational count are based on publicly available tracking and reporting by satellite analysts such as Jonathan McDowell.
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