A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:53 a.m. on April 21, 2026, carrying the U.S. Space Force’s GPS III-8 satellite. The mission marked the 29th orbital launch from the Space Coast this year, with 25 of those launches already attributed to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket’s first stage landed at the company’s Landing Zone 1, continuing SpaceX’s streak of successful recoveries.
The Space Coast ended 2025 with a record 109 orbital launches, the highest annual total in the region’s history. That number included 83 launches from Cape Canaveral and 26 from Kennedy Space Center, with SpaceX accounting for 101 of the missions. United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin contributed 6 and 2 launches respectively, while NASA conducted four human spaceflights, including Crew-10, Fram2, Ax-4, and Crew-11.
2026 is shaping up to be another record-breaking year. As of April 21, the Space Coast had already seen 29 orbital launches this year, with 28 from Cape Canaveral and one from KSC. SpaceX has conducted 25 Falcon 9 launches, ULA has two (one Atlas V and one Vulcan), Blue Origin has one New Glenn flight, and NASA is set to launch the Space Launch System rocket on Artemis II. The year is expected to include two human spaceflights: SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission and NASA’s Artemis II lunar voyage.
The trend shows no signs of slowing. In 2024, the Space Coast saw 93 launches, with SpaceX responsible for 88 of them. The following year, 2023, had 72 launches, including 68 from SpaceX and three from ULA and Relativity Space. The increase in activity reflects growing commercial and government demand for launch services, with NASA’s Artemis program and SpaceX’s Starlink constellation driving much of the traffic.
The Space Coast’s launch schedule will continue to update throughout 2026. Details on upcoming missions can be tracked through the Florida Today website and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. With SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin, and NASA all active, the region remains a global hub for space exploration and innovation.