SpaceX started 2026 the way it often does—by launching again. According to Space.com, the company’s first Starlink mission of the year lifted off on January 4, and it flew on a new Falcon 9 booster.
That detail matters because Starlink launches have become so routine that the storyline shifts from “did it launch?” to how it launched. A brand-new booster signals SpaceX is still feeding the reuse machine with fresh hardware even as it racks up rapid-fire missions. The company’s whole advantage is cadence: build, fly, land, refurbish, repeat—at a tempo other launch providers struggle to match.
For Starlink, each mission is another incremental step toward a larger goal: more satellites, more capacity, better coverage, and higher resilience for the network. It’s not flashy the way a Mars mission would be, but it’s the kind of steady infrastructure build that quietly changes what global connectivity can look like.
Starting the year with Starlink is also a message: 2026 won’t be a slow year. If anything, it’s another reminder that SpaceX’s default mode is momentum.
