Florida’s Historic Night Launch: Starlink Mission Poised to Break Annual Record – Spaceflight Now

Exciting news from the space industry! The world’s busiest spaceport is about to break another record. Weather permitting, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch on Monday night, marking the 94th launch of an orbital-class rocket from Florida. This will surpass the total achieved just last year in 2024.

This mission, called Starlink 6-87, will add 29 new satellites to SpaceX’s internet network orbiting close to Earth. Liftoff is scheduled from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:21 p.m. EST.

The launch time was moved later in the day because the Federal Aviation Administration limited commercial launches to night hours due to a temporary shortage of air traffic controllers. This is important for safety; launches require air traffic to be redirected, which increases the workload for controllers.

According to the 45th Weather Squadron, there’s a 60% chance of good weather at launch time. A strong cold front is moving through Florida, bringing some chilly winds. Meteorologists are watching for potential issues related to strong winds during the launch itself and in the recovery area near the Bahamas.

For this mission, SpaceX is using its newer booster, B1096. After the rocket takes off, it will aim to land on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” about eight minutes later. If everything goes well, this will be the 141st landing on that ship and the 532nd successful booster landing overall.

For more than six years, Florida’s spaceport—comprising NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral—has seen a steady rise in launches. The increase is largely due to SpaceX, which has used its two launch pads for nearly all the launches from the Space Coast.

SpaceX is changing the landscape of space launches. In October 2025, Port Canaveral noted significant activity: 90 boosters and 194 payload fairings were recovered in just one fiscal year. This reflects not only the rise in SpaceX launches but also the changing nature of space operations. Just a few years ago, Florida averaged around 12 launches per year. Now, they expect to hit over 100 launches soon.

Industry experts have pointed out how this rapid increase in launches requires coordination and efficiency. U.S. Space Force personnel are training weekly to adapt to what is becoming a more frequent operation, akin to airport scheduling. The goal is to normalize multiple launches in a single day, something that hadn’t occurred since the 1960s.

As SpaceX pushes the boundaries, infrastructure is also being expanded. New facilities dedicated to processing payloads, like Amazon’s Kuiper satellites, have recently come online. This will help support the growing demand for satellite launches.

With each launch, we’re witnessing history in the making. The push for innovation and exploration is truly accelerating. For those interested in watching, Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of this momentous launch.

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