SpaceX achieved a significant milestone on February 19, confirming the successful landing of its Falcon 9 booster on a drone ship stationed in the Bahamas after deploying 29 Starlink satellites as part of its satellite internet service. The liftoff for the Starlink 10-34 mission took place at 8:41:40 p.m. EST from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The launch was met with favorable weather conditions, with the 45th Weather Squadron predicting over a 95 percent chance of success, citing no significant weather constraints. Falcon 9’s first stage booster B1077 successfully completed its 26th flight, previously supporting missions such as Crew-5 and CRS-28 before executing this latest deployment.
In a remarkable achievement, B1077 landed on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions,” located off the coast of Exuma Island in The Bahamas, approximately 8.5 minutes post-liftoff. This marked the 150th landing on this particular vessel and the 573rd overall booster landing for SpaceX.
Notably, this successful landing comes exactly one year after SpaceX first landed a booster in Bahamian waters during the Starlink 10-12 mission on February 18, 2025. That launch was intended to pave the way for a crewed mission to polar orbit, which was realized in the subsequent Fram2 mission. However, the environmental concerns raised by the Bahamian government following certain incidents with the Starship rocket in 2025 complicated matters.
Fortunately, SpaceX and the government of The Bahamas have since reached a mutual understanding, facilitating this second booster landing in close proximity to the island nation. This cooperation underscores the growing collaboration between space exploration and environmental stewardship, setting the stage for future missions and advancements in satellite technology.