A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 6:13 a.m. Monday from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, beginning the Starlink 10-35 mission. The launch occurred just 11 minutes before sunrise, with the rocket’s exhaust glowing faintly in the early light. The first stage booster landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, achieving its 35th flight—the highest number of missions for any Falcon 9 booster to date.
The mission carried 53 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, expanding SpaceX’s global broadband network. Liftoff was delayed briefly by high winds but proceeded on time after conditions improved. No sonic booms were reported in Brevard County, a common occurrence during Falcon 9 landings. The booster’s reuse marks a milestone in SpaceX’s efforts to reduce launch costs and increase sustainability.
The next SpaceX launch from Florida is scheduled for no earlier than 8:27 a.m. Friday, June 12, from the same launch complex. That mission will also carry Starlink satellites and has a launch window extending until 12:27 p.m. Updates will be posted by the Florida Today Space Team at FloridaToday.com/Space.
SpaceX has conducted 12 launches from Cape Canaveral this year, with the majority focused on Starlink deployments. The company’s reuse of rocket components has become a standard practice, with some boosters now flying more than 10 times. The June 8 mission was the first SpaceX launch of 2026 and the third of the month, following two launches in late May.