A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the Starlink 10-46 mission on March 17, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

Space launches 29 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket on St. Patrick’s Day morning

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SpaceX kicked off the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on Tuesday with a Falcon 9 rocket launch, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Starlink 10-46 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 9:27 a.m. EDT (1327 UTC). The rocket flew on a north-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.

The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 75 percent chance for favorable weather during the launch opportunity. Meteorologists were watching for impacts from strong liftoff winds and the presence of cumulus clouds as well as a “moderate” risk to the booster recovery zone on a low-moderate-high scale.

SpaceX launched the mission using the Falcon 9 rocket first stage booster with the tail number 1090. This was its 11th flight following missions that include Crew-10, Bandwagon-3 and CRS-33.

Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1090 landed on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 147th landing on this vessel and the 587th booster landing to date for SpaceX.