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SpaceX’s 99th Falcon launch checks off new rocket booster reuse record [updated]
Update: Right on schedule, SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1049 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) carrying 58 Starlink satellites and three rideshare payloads from Earth observation company Planet.
A bit less than nine minutes after liftoff, B1049 performed a bullseye landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), becoming the first Falcon 9 booster to successfully launch and land six times. Soon after, the expendable Falcon 9 upper stage reached orbit without issue and deployed three Planet SkySats to complete SpaceX’s third Starlink rideshare mission in two months.
Around T+45 minutes, SpaceX revealed that recovery ship GO Ms. Tree (formerly Mr. Steven) had successfully caught a Falcon fairing half for the fifth time – also the second catch of a twice-flown fairing. Seconds later, Falcon 9 deployed all 58 Starlink v1.0 satellites, completing SpaceX’s 11th Starlink mission and leaving almost 600 operational v1.0 satellites in orbit. With this success, SpaceX is now just four launches away from beginning a public Starlink internet beta test.
SpaceX is hours away from crossing off a major rocket reusability milestone while simultaneously attempting the 99th 100th launch of a Falcon rocket.
SpaceX’s 10th Starlink v1.0 satellite launch, 11th Starlink mission overall, and ninth Starlink launch this year is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida no earlier than (NET) 10:31 am EDT (14:31 UTC) on Monday, August 18th. Carrying 58 Starlink spacecraft and three Planet SkySat Earth imaging satellites, Starlink-10 will be third mission of SpaceX’s Smallsat Rideshare Program. If the mission goes according to plan, SpaceX will end the day with some 585 operational Starlink satellites in orbit – ~69% of the way to the internet constellation’s initial operational capability (IOC).
If successful, Starlink-10 would leave SpaceX just four launches shy of one of the biggest milestones facing any satellite communications constellation.
100th launch while simultaneously launching the same Falcon 9 booster for the sixth time – a reusability first. (Richard Angle)
For Starlink, there are likely several different initial operational capability (IOC) milestones ahead of the constellation. As of July 2020, SpaceX says “hundreds” of private beta test participants – mostly SpaceX employees and their families – are already putting the nascent internet service through its paces.
More recently, the first public signs of those beta testers appeared via speed tests shared (intentionally or not) online, revealing Starlink internet speeds ranging from 10-60+ megabits per second (Mbps) and latency (ping) approaching what CEO Elon Musk said early customers should expect (20-30 ms). Already, latency alone puts Starlink internet service leagues above medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary (GEO) competitors, while the speeds available to private beta testers are easily comparable to or better than existing satellite internet alternatives. Given that current beta-testers are only accessing a constellation of a few hundred satellites (of thousands planned) with user terminal prototypes, it’s safe to say that the quality of Starlink internet service can only improve.
While SpaceX is barely a tenth of the way to Starlink’s first ~4400-satellite phase, a May 2020 interview with Gwynne Shotwell revealed that the company intends to open the Starlink beta program to the public once 14 batches of satellites are safely in orbit. Based on recent FCC-SpaceX interactions, it appears that the company is excluding v0.9 satellite prototypes from the operational count, implying that said public beta can begin to roll out once the Starlink V1 L14 (Starlink-14) launch is complete and the satellite batch has boosted into its final orbit.
Main purpose aside, the Starlink-10 mission will also mark several major rocket milestones for SpaceX. Regardless of the outcome, the company will be just one launch shy from cresting the triple-digit
mark, reaching 100 Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy launch attempts since its 2005 launch debut. The mission will also be Falcon 9’s 92nd launch and – if successful – 91st success. Based on SpaceX’s activity in the last eight months, the company could feasibly complete another 7-9 launches, of which 4-5 would likely be Starlink missions.
To economically launch so many Starlink missions, SpaceX has dug deep into the reusability of its Falcon 9 rockets. In April, Falcon 9 B1048 became the first booster to launch five times, although an engine failure prevented a landing attempt. In June and August, another two Falcon 9 boosters successfully launched and landed for the fifth time. Now, Falcon 9 B1049 – the first SpaceX rocket to successfully launch and land five times – is set to become the first to launch (and hopefully land) six times with Starlink-10. If the schedule holds and Starlink-10 goes according to plan, SpaceX will have set two consecutive booster reuse records less than three months (75 days) apart.
Tune in at the link below to watch SpaceX’s Starlink-10 launch and landing live.
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SpaceX has achieved an incredible milestone by launching its 11,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.
This accomplishment occurred during the Starlink Group 17-50 mission, which lifted off on August 19 at 04:01 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from California pic.twitter.com/UscpmAxDls
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 19, 2026
A Falcon 9 rocket carried 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on this flight, successfully deploying them into low Earth orbit approximately one hour after liftoff. The first stage booster, identified as B1097 on its twelfth flight, landed successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
According to tracking data compiled around that date, this deployment brought the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to just over 11,000.
The Starlink program began with test satellites known as Tintin A and B, launched on February 22, 2018. The first operational batch of 60 Starlink satellites followed on May 24, 2019, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Those initial satellites marked the start of a rapid expansion that has continued for more than seven years.
SpaceX has conducted hundreds of dedicated Starlink missions since then, routinely launching batches of 20 to 30 satellites at a time using reusable Falcon 9 rockets. By mid-2026, the company had already surpassed 12,000 total satellites launched across all versions, with continuous replacements for units that deorbit as designed to manage space debris.
Looking ahead, SpaceX continues to expand the Starlink constellation to enhance global broadband coverage, capacity, and speed. The network already serves millions of users across more than 160 countries and supports applications ranging from residential internet to maritime, aviation, and emergency services.
Future plans center on next-generation hardware, including larger V3 satellites capable of delivering substantially higher throughput, which require the increased payload capacity of the Starship vehicle currently under development and testing.
In July, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission seeking authority for a Gen3 constellation of up to 100,000 satellites. These spacecraft would operate in very low Earth orbit shells at altitudes near 325 kilometers and 475 kilometers. The filing requests use of existing Ku, Ka, V, and E band spectrum along with new greenfield W and D band frequencies between 92 and 275 GHz.
SpaceX states that the expanded system aims to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical broadband to consumers, enterprises, governments, and billions of AI-powered devices worldwide while handling a majority of global internet traffic. Approval and subsequent deployment would depend on regulatory review and the operational readiness of Starship for high-volume launches.
This ambitious scale reflects SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to providing ubiquitous high-speed connectivity from space.
Tesla has opened a new sweepstakes to allow the public to be among the first to take an initial ride in a Cybercab. This all-electric, steering-wheel-less, pedal-less vehicle is the centerpiece of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi.
There are two ways Tesla fans can get to Austin to take part in the first public rides of the Cybercab: by riding on the Robotaxi platform by August 23, or by mailing a very specific entry to their Headquarters at Gigafactory Texas.
Tesla announced the latter portion of the sweepstakes last night:
🚨 Want to win a trip to Austin to ride in one of the first Cybercab rides ever?
Here’s how:
Tesla has opened up a new sweepstakes to ride in a Cybercab upon its public launch. Here’s the details.
There are two methods of entry into the sweepstakes, and they are as follows:… pic.twitter.com/iJRd4evuWo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 19, 2026
Tesla will give one entry into the sweepstakes if you mail a 3″ by 5″ piece of paper with your full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and date of birth to their address:
Tesla, Robotaxi Sweeps Event
1 Tesla Road,
Austin, TX 78725
There is a limit of one entry per stamped envelope. You can send as many as you’d like, but they must be in separate envelopes.
The company’s unique strategy to give people the opportunity to ride in a Cybercab before pretty much anyone else outside of the company is a hilarious but spot-on representation of how Tesla operates. In classic fashion, they had the perfect response to the event:
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 19, 2026
Cybercab will launch later this month, it appears, especially as it plans to announce the winners of the sweepstakes on August 25. The car has already been operating internally, as employees have been able to utilize the Cybercab for rides in some capacity, something it announced earlier this month.
Tesla weirdly confirms Cybercab employee rides, a huge milestone
Moving forward, the big goal is to get Cybercab out on the roads and integrated into the public Robotaxi fleet, one that will pick up real-world ride-hailers and give them a ride from Point A to Point B.
No matter which way you cut it, it appears Tesla is close to putting a vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals on the road to help people travel autonomously.
You can ride along with us in our first Cybercab ride from the We, Robot event in October 2024. The video is embedded below:
🎥: Our FULL first ride in the @Tesla Cybercab pic.twitter.com/6gR7OgKRCz
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.
Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.
Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.
Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:
There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.
A new Robotaxi fleet charging hub is coming soon to Austin, Texas!!
Permits have been filed for the installation of 48 (V3) stalls in a vehicle storage lot across the road from Tesla’s St Elmo service center. pic.twitter.com/xwRgSWDqht
— MarcoRP (@MarcoRPi1) August 18, 2026
This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.
These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.
Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.
Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.
SpaceX achieves incredible milestone with Starlink program
Tesla is opening Cybercab rides to a select few
