Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to launch five Starlink missions, Firefly to launch Alpha

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Seven missions are on this week’s launch manifest, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 dominating the schedule. Falcon 9 is expected to launch five Starlink missions from SpaceX’s launch sites in Florida and California. Meanwhile, Rocket Lab’s suborbital HASTE rocket will launch a hypersonic test vehicle for Hypersonix from Virginia, and Firefly will return its Alpha vehicle to flight from California.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-110

The first of five Falcon 9 missions to launch this week is scheduled for 3:56 PM EST (20:56 UTC) on Tuesday, Feb. 24, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. If needed, launch can be pushed into a four-hour launch window that closes at 7:36 PM EST (00:56 UTC on Wednesday). Falcon 9, carrying 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites for the Starlink Group 6-110 mission, will follow a southeastern trajectory out of the Cape, placing the satellites in a low-Earth orbit inclined 43 degrees.

Falcon booster B1092 will support this mission, flying on its 10th mission. B1092 previously supported the NROL-69, CRS-32, GPS III SV08, USSF-36, and five Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the booster will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and land atop one of SpaceX’s two east coast autonomous droneships, Just Read the Instructions, which will be stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-26

Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink Group 17-26 mission on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6:00 AM PST (14:00 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. The four-hour launch window extends to 10:00 AM PST (18:00 UTC). After following a southern trajectory out of VSFB, the 25 Starlink v2 Mini satellites will be deployed to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an inclination of 97.29 degrees.

Booster B1093 will land atop SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean following liftoff and stage separation. This mission will serve as B1093’s 11th mission, having previously flown the Tranche 1 Transport Layer B, Tranche 1 Transport Layer C, and eight Starlink missions.

HASTE | That’s Not A Knife

Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch the “That’s Not A Knife” mission atop its Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) rocket at 3:00 PM EST (20:00 UTC) on Wednesday, Feb. 25. HASTE, a modified suborbital variant of Rocket Lab’s orbital launch vehicle Electron, will liftoff from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia, flying on a southeastern trajectory.

Encapsulated atop HASTE will be the 300 kg DART Additive Engineering (AE) vehicle, a three-meter-long, single-use scramjet technology demonstrator. Developed by Hypersonix, DART AE is constructed from a high-temperature alloy and powered by a single 3D-printed SPARTAN engine that uses hydrogen propellant. Once traveling at hypersonic speeds, HASTE will jettison DART AE, allowing it to demonstrate non-ballistic flight patterns, acceleration, and engine burns, as well as a 1,000 km flight range.

HASTE is heavily derived from Electron, a two-stage small satellite launch vehicle that utilizes nine Rutherford engines on its first stage and a single vacuum-optimized Rutherford on the second stage. Powered by liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX), HASTE stands 18 m tall and 1.2 m wide. HASTE can carry a 700 kg payload on a suborbital trajectory.

This mission will be HASTE’s first of 2026 and its seventh overall.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-108

Falcon 9’s marathon of Starlink missions continues with the Starlink Group 6-108 mission, which is scheduled to launch on Friday, Feb. 27, at 4:52 AM EST (09:52 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS. The launch window extends to 8:52 AM EST (13:52 UTC). Falcon 9 and its payload of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites will fly on a southeastern trajectory to a LEO at an inclination of 43 degrees.

One of the oldest boosters in the Falcon fleet, B1069, will support this mission, flying on its 30th mission. B1069 debuted in December 2021 on the CRS-24 mission, and has since flown the Hotbird 13F, OneWeb #15, SES-18 & SES-19, and 25 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, B1069 will land atop SpaceX’s second east coast droneship, A Shortfall of Gravitas, downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

Alpha | Stairway To Seven

Firefly Aerospace is set to return its Alpha rocket to flight on the “Stairway To Seven” mission on Friday, Feb. 27. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:50 PM PST (00:50 UTC on Saturday, Feb. 28) from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W) at the VSFB in California. Alpha will fly on a southwestern trajectory into LEO.

As the mission name suggests, Stairway To Seven, also known as FLTA007, will serve as Alpha’s seventh mission. Alpha will test and validate several new systems and technologies that are expected to debut on the first flight of Alpha Block II, FLTA008, which is scheduled for later this year. These new systems and upgrades — such as consolidated batteries and avionics, an enhanced thermal protection system, and stronger carbon composite structures — will increase Alpha’s manufacturability and reliability. The new consolidated battery systems and thermal upgrades will be tested on Stairway To Seven, giving the new technologies flight heritage ahead of their debut on FLTA008. Stairway To Seven will serve as the last launch of Alpha Block I.

Alpha first launched in 2021 and has since experienced both successes and failures. Its most recent mission, FLTA006 “Message In A Booster,” failed to reach orbital velocity after an engine extension nozzle on the second stage disintegrated following stage separation. The anomaly resulted in the loss of the second stage and Lockheed Martin’s LM400 satellite bus demonstration payload. In total, Alpha has completed two successful missions, two failed missions, and two partial-failure missions.

Alpha is a two-stage launch vehicle that stands 29.48 m tall and 1.82 m wide. Both stages use RP-1 and LOX propellants; the first stage is powered by four Reaver engines, and the second by a single Lightning vacuum-optimized engine. The rocket is capable of carrying 1,030 kg to LEO and 630 kg to a 500 km SSO.

This mission will mark Alpha’s return to flight, first mission of 2026, and seventh mission overall.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-23

The first of two scheduled Falcon 9 launches on Sunday, March 1, is set to liftoff at the start of a four-hour launch window at 12:00 AM PST (08:00 UTC) from SLC-4E at VSFB. The Starlink Group 17-23 mission, comprised of 25 Starlink v2 Mini satellites, will fly on a southern trajectory into a SSO at an inclination of 97.29 degrees.

Following liftoff and stage separation, booster B1082 will land atop Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. B1082 will be flying on its 20th mission, having previously supported the USSF-62, OneWeb #20, NROL-145, and 16 Starlink missions.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-41

The final launch of the week, Starlink Group 10-41, is scheduled to launch on Sunday, March 1, at 7:07 PM EST (00:07 UTC on Monday, March 2) from SLC-40 in CCSFS. The four-hour launch window extends to 11:07 PM EST (04:07 UTC). Falcon 9, with 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites onboard, will fly on a northeastern trajectory to a LEO inclined 53.16 degrees.

Booster B1078, flying on its 26th mission, will land atop the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic following stage separation. B1078 has previously supported the Crew-6, O3b mPOWER 3 & 4, USSF-124, Bluebird Block 1, Nusantara Lima, and 20 Starlink missions.

This mission will mark the 27th Falcon 9 mission of 2026 and the 610th overall. Furthermore, this mission will mark the 45th orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2026.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)

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