Overview

• A Falcon 9 launching the Starlink 10-56 mission at 7:10 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27 placed 28 satellites into orbit and landed its B1095 first stage on Just Read the Instructions about eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
• Spaceflight Now reported the touchdown as SpaceX’s 400th successful droneship recovery of an orbital-class booster.
• SpaceX said on Aug. 28 that a Falcon 9 reached “thirty flights, thirty landings” following a droneship return on A Shortfall of Gravitas.
• Most ocean landings to date have been on Of Course I Still Love You, part of a three-vessel fleet that enables rapid refurbishment and reuse.
• Rival efforts continue, with Blue Origin’s first New Glenn landing attempt in January 2025 unsuccessful and another try planned, while Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, ULA and Chinese firms pursue alternate recovery approaches and timelines.