A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the Starlink 10-38 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as seen from the shoreside in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on May 1, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now
Update May 1, 3:10 p.m. EDT (1910 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX kicked off the month of May by launching a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Friday afternoon.
The Starlink 10-38 mission carried with it a batch of 29 broadband internet satellites, adding to the megaconstellation that currently consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. This was the 43rd mission of the year featuring Starlink satellites as the primary payload.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 2:06:10 p.m. EDT (1806:10 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket flew on a north-easterly trajectory upon leaving the launch pad.
The 45th Weather Squadron forecast an 80 percent chance for favorable weather during liftoff. Meteorologists said they are watching for possible violations of the cumulus cloud and thick cloud layers rules.
“For the launch window on Friday, showers may develop along the sea breeze which will be pinned to the coastline due to offshore flow,” launch weather officers wrote. “The Cumulus Cloud Rule will be the primary concern with sea breeze development, with secondary Thick Cloud Layers Rule concerns due to the boundary proximity to the north.”
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the Starlink 10-38 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 1, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
SpaceX launched the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1069. This was its 31st flight following missions, like CRS-24, Eutelsat Hotbird 13F, and 26 batches of Starlink satellites.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1069 landed on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 149th landing on this drone ship and the 607th booster landing to date for SpaceX.
The company recently retired its other East Coast drone ship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’, and is repurposing it as a transport vessel for its Starship rocket program.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the Starlink 10-38 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 1, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now