SpaceX resumes Starlink launches days after Falcon 9 anomaly
08 Feb 2026

SpaceX has successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

The mission took place on Saturday, just five days after a previous launch experienced an anomaly.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the 25 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:58pm EDT (12:58pm PDT local time).

Successful deployment of satellites and landing of booster
Mission outcome

About an hour after launch, SpaceX confirmed that the satellites (Group 17-33) had been deployed as planned.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket (Booster 1088) completed its 13th flight by landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

The upper stage of the rocket also performed as expected, marking a successful end to this mission after previous issues.

What went wrong during previous launch?
Anomaly report

During the previous mission, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket "experienced an off-nominal condition."

SpaceX officials explained that the second stage failed to re-ignite due to a gas bubble in the transfer tube ahead of its planned deorbit burn.

However, they assured that "the vehicle then performed as designed to successfully passivate the stage," which reentered Earth's atmosphere approximately 10.5 hours later over Southern Indian Ocean.

FAA cleared SpaceX to resume launches
Regulatory approval

SpaceX submitted a report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), detailing the likely cause of the anomaly and corrective actions taken before Saturday's launch.

Earlier this week, the FAA cleared SpaceX to resume its launches.

With this successful mission, the Starlink megaconstellation now boasts over 9,600 active satellites in orbit, according to tracker Jonathan McDowell.