A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 2:39 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 carrying three satellites for ASAT SpaceMobile. The mission, named BlueBird 8-10, marked the 35th SpaceX orbital launch of the year and the 29th flight of the first-stage booster, which landed on a droneship downrange. The launch comes as the Space Coast wraps up 2025 with a record 109 orbital launches from SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin. 2026 is on track to match or exceed that number with increased activity from all providers and NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission.
As of June 17, 2026, the Space Coast has already recorded 41 orbital launches this year. Of those, 39 occurred at Cape Canaveral, and two at Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX has conducted 35 launches, including 34 Falcon 9 missions and one Falcon Heavy. ULA has launched four rockets—three Atlas V and one Vulcan—while Blue Origin has one New Glenn flight. NASA’s Space Launch System will make its first flight on Artemis II later this year.
The Space Coast’s 2025 total of 109 launches included 101 from SpaceX, six from ULA, and two from Blue Origin. That year also saw four human spaceflights, including SpaceX’s Crew-10, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, and Ax-4. In 2024, the region had 93 launches, with 88 from SpaceX, and five from ULA. 2023 saw 72 launches, including 68 from SpaceX and three human spaceflights.
The most recent launches include SpaceX’s BlueBird 8-10 mission, which added to the Space Coast’s growing role in global satellite deployment. The region is expected to host two human spaceflights in 2026—Crew-12 and Artemis II—alongside continued commercial and government missions. Launch schedules are subject to change, but the pace shows no signs of slowing as SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin, and NASA all ramp up operations.