![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260104_Starlink_6-88_MC-1.jpeg\")
SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-88 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 4, 2026. This was the company\u2019s first Starlink mission of the year and the first Falcon 9 launch from the Eastern Range of 2026. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now<\/p>\n
SpaceX launched its first Starlink mission since one of its satellites in orbit was knocked out of action in an incident on Dec. 17.<\/p>\n Liftoff of the Starlink 6-88 mission happened at 1:48 a.m. EST (0648 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory after a nearly two-hour delay, likely due to poor weather conditions.<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/p>\n The mission was originally scheduled launch on Dec. 19, but was delayed when SpaceX lost contact with Starlink satellite number 35956, which was launched Nov. 23, 2025, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite was orbiting at an altitude of 418 km.<\/p>\n \u201cThe anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km, and the release of a small number of trackable low relative velocity objects,\u201d SpaceX said in a social media post on Dec. 18.<\/p>\n Two days later, on Dec. 20, Michael Nicolls, the vice president of Starlink Engineering, took to social media to share imagery of the satellite collected by Vantor\u2019s (formerly known as Maxar Intelligence) WorldView-3 satellite on Dec. 20 that showed the satellite was \u201clargely intact.\u201d<\/p>\n Imagery collected by Vantor\u2019s WorldView-3 satellite about 1 day after the anomaly shows that @starlink<\/a> Satellite 35956 is largely intact. The 12-cm resolution image was collected over Alaska from 241 km away. We appreciate the rapid response by @vantortech<\/a> to provide this\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/8OcTZsk5Gx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1PafjFwuRP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx) December 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cAdditional data suggest that there is a small number of trackable debris objects from the event, and we expect the satellite and debris to reenter and fully demise within weeks,\u201d Nicolls wrote.<\/p>\n Former astronaut Ed Lu, founder & Chief Technology Officer of Leolabs, a company that provides real-time orbital tracking data, said the company\u2019s radar had detected hundreds of objects.<\/p>\n \u201cAs per usual, these objects tend to spread out along the orbital track, and have already spread out over 6000km,\u201d said Lu.<\/p>\n In its original social media post, SpaceX said it was taking the incident very seriously: \u201cOur engineers are rapidly working to root cause and mitigate the source of the anomaly and are already in the process of deploying software to our vehicles that increases protections against this type of event.\u201d<\/p>\n The satellites for the Starlink 6-88 were already at the launch pad inside the rocket\u2019s payload fairing, but were returned to SpaceX\u2019s processing facility at HangarX on Dec. 19 in the wake of the in-orbit incident, presumably to allow modifications.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket launch, the first from Florida in 2026, added 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the megaconstellation which now numbers more than 9,300 satellite in orbit, according to stats maintained by astronomer and expert orbital tracker, Jonathan McDowell.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 30 percent chance for favorable weather at the opening of the launch window, which improves to 70 percent as time goes on. Meteorologists said a cold front will be moving through the area during the launch opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cModel solutions have great agreement on timing with the worst weather likely occurring at the front of the window, as band of showers (that likely triggers the Cumulus Cloud Rule) moves through around midnight,\u201d launch weather officers wrote. \u201cThere is also good model agreement for improvement into the window, with lingering thick clouds being the main concern by the end.\u201d<\/p>\n SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-88 mission on a brand new Falcon 9 booster, as the company continues to add to its fleet. There were eight new boosters that debuted in 2025 and six introduced in 2024.<\/p>\n The new booster, believed to bear the tail number of 1101, landed on a drone ship, called \u2018Just Read the Instructions,\u2019 positioned in the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast of The Bahamas, about 8.5 minutes after liftoff.<\/p>\n This was the 147th landing on this vessel and the 555th booster landing for SpaceX to date.<\/p>\n Building on records<\/p>\n The predawn flight planned for Sunday comes after a year of big growth for the Starlink component of SpaceX\u2019s business.<\/p>\n In its annual progress report published just after the new year, SpaceX said it closed out 2025 with a total of more than nine million global customers across more than 155 countries and markets. It said it had added more than 35 new markets over the year as well as 4.6 million customers.<\/p>\n This year, we activated Starlink in 35+ new markets, and are now covering 155+ countries and a global area home to 3.2 billion people, including those who live in some of the most remote places on Earth pic.twitter.com\/DaDeFKDX9t<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Starlink (@Starlink) December 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Last year, SpaceX launched 122 Falcon 9 rockets carrying Starlink satellites onboard, deploying 3,168 into low Earth orbit. Among those were 286 that supported the Direct to Cell component of the constellation.<\/p>\n \u201cWith enhancements to the V2 Mini satellite design, we began launching more satellites on each Starlink mission, adding more than 270 Tbps of capacity to the constellation this year,\u201d SpaceX stated in its report.<\/p>\n The company attributed its ability to ramp up launch cadence to \u201cStarlink\u2019s vertical manufacturing for satellite production and our relentless commitment to recovering and reusing Falcon 9 first stage boosters and payload fairings.\u201d<\/p>\n SpaceX also touted the rollout of its Direct to Cell service, citing its operation across 22 countries with more than six million monthly customers. It completed the first generation of its DTC network with the launch of the Starlink 12-26 mission in mid-June.<\/p>\n \u201cOperating at 360 kilometers above the surface of the Earth, Direct to Cell satellites fly lower than any other constellation in order to optimize the link between the cell phone and satellite,\u201d SpaceX wrote. \u201cStarlink Direct to Cell is the largest and most robust in-space communications provider for unmodified cellular devices\u2014and the only one actively serving customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Another company, AST SpaceMobile, is also looking to compete in this space of bringing cellular reception and data to unmodified phones and recently launched its sixth BlueBird satellite from India in December. The BlueBird 7 satellite is in Florida and will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket likely in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Coming up\u2026<\/p>\n On Jan. 1, Nicolls announced on social media that the roughly 4,400 Satelink satellites currently orbiting at about 550 km (342 mi) will be lowered to an altitude of about 480 km (298 mi). The action is being done in coordination with U.S. Space Command along with other satellite operators and regulators, Nicolls said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs solar minimum approaches, atmospheric density decreases which means the ballistic decay time at any given altitude increases \u2013 lowering will mean a [greater than] 80 percent reduction in ballistic decay time in solar minimum, or four plus years reduced to a few months,\u201d Nicolls wrote. \u201cCorrespondingly, the number of debris objects and planned satellite constellations is significantly lower below 500 km, reducing the aggregate likelihood of collision.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in the month, Nicolls expressed concern with a 200-meter close approach to another satellite, Starlink-6079 (56120), at 560 km in altitude, blaming a lack of coordination or deconfliction with a launch from China days prior.<\/p>\n Chinese company CAS Space, the company who likely launched the satellites that created the close approach, said it was in contact with SpaceX for more details. It called for \u201cre-establishing collaborations\u201d between the U.S. and China.<\/p>\n Glimpsing into the future, @SpaceX<\/a> successfully deployed simulator Starlink satellites on two Starship test flights this year, as we prepare to launch the next generation Starlink and Direct to Cell constellations to orbit pic.twitter.com\/UQSeogUhK9<\/a><\/p>\n
Update Jan. 4, 3:38 a.m. EST (0838 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260104_Starlink_6-88_JP-1.jpeg\")
SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-88 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 4, 2026. This was the company\u2019s first Starlink mission of the year and the first Falcon 9 launch from the Eastern Range of 2026. Image: John Pisani\/Spaceflight Now<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260104_Starlink_6-88_AB-1.jpeg\")
SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-88 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 4, 2026. This was the company\u2019s first Starlink mission of the year and the first Falcon 9 launch from the Eastern Range of 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/p>\n\n