Starship Updates

Elon Musk has signalled a strategic pivot in SpaceX’s long-term ambitions, now prioritizing lunar settlement before mounting a full-scale push to Mars. In early February 2026, Musk—who previously dismissed the Moon as a “distraction”—stated that the company’s focus has shifted toward establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface. This change appears driven by both operational realities and the imperative to secure humanity’s multiplanetary future sooner rather than later.

While no Starship test flights occurred this week, the revised roadmap underscores the vehicle’s critical role in upcoming Artemis missions. NASA’s Artemis 2 campaign, which will carry astronauts around the Moon, remains in active preparation. Notably, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman—himself a former commercial astronaut—confirmed that recent “mini wet dress rehearsals” with the Space Launch System (SLS) at Kennedy Space Center have yielded promising data. Though not a Starship event, these tests reflect the broader momentum in U.S. lunar exploration, with SpaceX’s Starship slated to serve as the Human Landing System for Artemis III and beyond.

As of February 16, 2026, no Starship launch is imminent, but the infrastructure and engineering groundwork continue at pace. The shift in focus from Mars to Moon may streamline development priorities, potentially accelerating flight readiness for lunar missions later this year.

Starbase Infrastructure

While this week’s developments largely centred on orbital operations and policy, there were no major updates to Starbase infrastructure reported in the source materials. Construction and testing activities at Boca Chica, Texas, appear to be proceeding in the background as SpaceX maintains its focus on Falcon 9 cadence and Crew Dragon missions. With the company’s attention currently split between Starship development and an exceptionally busy launch manifest, infrastructure progress at Starbase may be incremental rather than headline-grabbing at this moment. We’ll continue to monitor for any significant upgrades to the launch mount, Mechazilla catch system, or production facilities in the coming weeks.

Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Operations

SpaceX notched a major milestone on February 14, 2026, with the successful launch of its 600th Falcon 9 rocket. The Starlink 17-13 mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 8:59:59 p.m. EST, carrying 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. The flight used booster B1081—on its 22nd mission—and marked the 571st successful landing of a Falcon 9 first stage, with this one touching down on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.

Just two days earlier, on February 13, another Falcon 9 launched the Crew-12 mission from Cape Canaveral. This flight was historic not only for occurring on Friday the 13th—the first NASA crewed launch on that date—but also for featuring the inaugural landing at the newly constructed Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) in Florida. This new ground-based recovery site was developed in response to U.S. Space Force requirements to free up range resources for other launch providers. The booster, B1101, executed a flawless return, cementing SpaceX’s flexibility in recovery operations.

Other SpaceX News

February 13 was a banner day for human spaceflight: the Crew-12 quartet—NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—successfully launched to the International Space Station. Their Dragon spacecraft, Freedom, docked on February 14 at 3:15 p.m. EST, beginning an eight-month expedition. For Canadian readers, it’s worth noting that while no Canadian astronaut is on this crew, Sophie Adenot’s presence highlights Europe’s continued partnership with North American space agencies—a collaboration that often includes Canadian contributions via the Canadian Space Agency’s robotics and scientific expertise.

Meanwhile, Starlink continues its global expansion. On February 15, Vietnam officially licensed Starlink to operate in the country, permitting up to 600,000 user terminals. Though Canada already enjoys widespread Starlink availability, this move underscores the service’s growing international footprint. Back at SpaceX HQ, President Gwynne Shotwell announced on February 14 that Starlink has surpassed 10 million active customers worldwide—a testament to the network’s rapid scaling. No recent updates specifically mentioned new Canadian service enhancements, but existing coverage across rural and remote regions remains a key asset for connectivity in Canada’s vast northern communities.

Citations

• “SpaceX launches 600th Falcon 9 rocket to date with Starlink flight from Vandenberg” – https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/02/14/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-600th-falcon-9-rocket-to-date-with-starlink-flight-from-vandenberg/
• “‘Very lucky day’: NASA, SpaceX ace astronaut launch to the space station on Friday the 13th” – https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/02/14/very-lucky-day-nasa-spacex-ace-astronaut-launch-to-the-space-station-on-friday-the-13th/
• “Vietnam licenses Musk’s satellite internet firm Starlink” – https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Vietnam_licenses_Musks_satellite_internet_firm_Starlink_999.html
• “Musk says SpaceX focus is on the moon rather than Mars” – https://spacenews.com/musk-says-spacex-focus-is-on-the-moon-rather-than-mars/
• Gwynne Shotwell tweet, February 14, 2026 – https://x.com/Gwynne_Shotwell/status/2022803485750649154