SpaceX Drone Ship JRTI Completes Final Falcon 9 Landing
Summary: On April 21, 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the GPS III SV10 satellite from Cape Canaveral. The first stage booster B1095.7 landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions (JRTI) in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, completing its 7th flight and landing — and JRTI's 156th overall Falcon booster recovery. SpaceX subsequently announced that JRTI would no longer support Falcon 9 recovery missions, transitioning fully to support Starship operations.
Credit: SpaceX / File photo
SpaceX currently operates three drone ships: Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) stationed off Cape Canaveral's coast, Just Read the Instructions (JRTI) also on the East Coast, and A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) on the West Coast. The combined fleet has completed hundreds of booster recoveries, making the Falcon series the most frequently reused launch vehicle system in human history.
This recovery held special historical significance as JRTI's final Falcon 9 landing. As SpaceX shifts resources toward the Starship program, JRTI will join OCISLY in supporting Super Heavy Booster recoveries for Starship, marking another major upgrade in SpaceX's recovery capabilities.
GPS III SV10 is the tenth satellite in Lockheed Martin's third-generation GPS constellation, delivered to orbit by a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. This launch was SpaceX's 48th Falcon-series mission of 2026.