SpaceX’s January 2026 launch calendar signals another big year for the company

What a year it was for SpaceX! The Elon Musk-led company's 2025 launch schedule featured frequent Falcon 9 missions, primarily dedicated to deploying Starlink internet satellites. Diversifying its portfolio with human spaceflight in a year dominated by satellite launches, SpaceX also carried out the Crew-10 launch in March and the Crew-11 launch in August, which transported astronauts to the International Space Station.

In November, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 deployed the Transporter-15 mission, carrying 140 payloads, to a sun-synchronous orbit. According to SpaceX, these included cubesats, microsatellites, hosted payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles, with 13 payloads scheduled for deployment at a later date. All in all, it was a strong year for SpaceX, which now looks ahead to an exciting 2026. In fact, January itself is going to be a pretty busy month for the company.

COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission

SpaceX says it is gearing up for the launch of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. While an official launch date has yet to be announced, the mission is expected to lift off sometime in January. The satellite will be launched for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense into low Earth orbit. This will mark the booster’s 21st flight. Following stage separation, the first stage will return to Earth and land at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties may hear sonic booms during the launch. COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) satellites utilize advanced radar technology to enhance Earth observation capabilities while building upon the capabilities of the earlier COSMO-SkyMed satellites. They are designed to provide very high-quality and precise data, especially for interferometric studies. CSG-1 was launched in December 2019 from French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket, and CSG-2 was launched in January 2022 from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 rocket.

More Starlink missions

SpaceX is set to launch a Starlink mission using a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. On January 4, 2026. The mission will deploy 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. A live webcast will begin about five minutes before liftoff and can be watched on SpaceX’s website, on X (@SpaceX), and on the X TV app. This launch will mark the first flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster assigned to the mission. After stage separation, the booster is expected to land on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” droneship positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.

Another Starlink mission is scheduled just days later, on January 8, 2026, again launching 29 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. As with the earlier launch, a live webcast will begin shortly before liftoff and will be available on SpaceX’s official streaming platforms. This mission will be the 29th flight for the first-stage booster, which is planned to land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship after completing its role in the launch.

The third Starlink mission scheduled for the month (January 10, 2026) will see 29 more satellites launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, also from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. It will be the 25th flight for the first-stage booster, which, like its predecessor, will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Starlink claims to be the most advanced internet system in the world, facilitating streaming, video calling, and online gaming even in remote locations.

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