How Many Starlink Satellites Can SpaceX Launch This Year?

Space Exploration Technologies's (NASDAQ: SPCX) Starlink internet service is perhaps its most successful venture to date. This business unit accounted for the majority of SpaceX's revenues and profits last year.

The FCC has already approved the company to launch 12,000 low Earth orbit satellites. SpaceX has filed to launch 42,000 more. Future approvals will be needed, considering that more than 9,000 Starlink satellites are already in orbit.

Just how fast will SpaceX launch additional satellites? One major upcoming catalyst will determine the pace of launches.

This is how many satellites SpaceX will launch in 2026

SpaceX continues to launch more Starlink satellites regularly. On June 20, the company launched 24 more satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Four days later, it launched another 24 satellites.

Halfway through 2026, SpaceX has already launched more than 1,500 satellites. In total, SpaceX has launched more satellites into space than any other company in history.

Image source: Getty Images.

At this pace, SpaceX should deploy roughly 3,000 satellites into space this year, perhaps more if the company's IPO funding helps accelerate launch cadence.

The biggest catalyst for growth, however, will be the company's Starship megarocket. A single Starship can launch the equivalent of roughly 600 v2 Starlink satellites -- more than 20 times what Falcon 9 rockets can manage.

SpaceX's Starship megarocket has completed several key testing phases. But some experts don't expect it to be commercialized until 2027. When Starship launches, it will scale; however, SpaceX will deploy a huge number of additional satellites -- many times more than in its previous launches.

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.