SpaceX successfully launched 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday evening, marking the company’s 18th launch of the year as it continues to expand its broadband internet satellite constellation. The mission, referred to as Starlink 6-110, took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and was highlighted by a favorable weather forecast with over a 95 percent chance of clear skies.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:04:10 p.m. EST (2304:10 UTC) and followed a south-easterly trajectory out of Florida. With this launch, SpaceX’s total number of satellites in orbit surpasses 9,700, according to the satellite tracking expert Jonathan McDowell.
The first stage booster of the Falcon 9, designated B1092, successfully returned to Earth, landing on the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ in the Atlantic Ocean a little more than eight minutes after liftoff. This landing marked the 151st for this particular vessel and contributed to SpaceX’s impressive record of 576 booster landings overall.
Despite the company’s success in reusability, SpaceX announced an increase in its launch prices. As per the latest updates, the cost for a standard Falcon 9 launch to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) has risen to $74 million, up from $70 million in 2025. Comparatively, the price was $67 million in 2022, with the company indicating that inflation could lead to further increases in the future.
Internal estimates suggest that it costs SpaceX around $15 million to launch a reusable Falcon 9 rocket. In the landscape of commercial launch providers, Rocket Lab’s upcoming Neutron rocket is expected to offer competitive pricing at around $55 million for dedicated flights. Meanwhile, Blue Origin’s New Glenn is projected to charge approximately $68 million per flight to transport 13 metric tons to GTO. NASA’s recent flight of its EscaPADE mission in November 2025 is a notable outlier, costing only $20 due to the associated risks of being the rocket’s second flight.
As SpaceX continues to enhance its satellite network and refine its launch capabilities, the advancements in technology also reflect an ongoing commitment to increasing access to broadband services worldwide. The company’s continuous innovation and operational experience position it as a leader in the aerospace industry.