SpaceX is doing something that sounds counterintuitive for a company that basically turned rocket launches into a weekly routine. It’s launching fewer rockets next year.
The company plans to fly its workhorse Falcon 9 roughly 140 to 145 times in 2026, according to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. That’s down from 165 launches in 2025. The reason is straightforward: SpaceX is reallocating resources toward Starship, the massive next-generation vehicle it hopes will eventually carry humans to the Moon and Mars.
The great infrastructure pivot
The shift is most visible in Florida. Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is transitioning to support Starship operations and occasional Falcon Heavy missions.
SpaceX has also retired the second of its two Florida-based droneships. The retired droneship is being repurposed to assist with Starship transport logistics.
