The launch schedule in the past few weeks had been notably quieter than usual. Last week, a Chang Zheng 4B launched the latest set of Gaofen-11 high-resolution Earth observation satellites in the early hours of Friday, July 19 — the only launch of the week of July 14 through July 20.
Following a Falcon 9 second stage anomaly during the Starlink Group 9-3 mission on July 12, Falcon 9 had been grounded while SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a mishap investigation. SpaceX has since posted an update on July 25 following its own internal review, highlighting the removal of a second stage engine sensor and sense line on future vehicles in the near term.
Falcon launches were anticipated to return as soon as last weekend and restarted from Saturday, July 27, while the investigation continues. The first three launches took place within 28 hours of each other, in the process marking the 300th reuse of a Falcon 9 booster.