Update May 30, 1:30 PM EDT (1730 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of 24 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX launched its 50th dedicated Starlink mission of 2026 with a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday morning.
The Starlink 17-41 mission adds 24 more broadband internet satellites to the company’s low Earth orbit. There are more than 10,000 spacecraft in its orbit.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East occurred at 8:25 a.m. PDT (11:25 a.m. EDT/1525 UTC). Upon leaving the pad the rocket will fly on a south-south-westerly trajectory.
SpaceX launched the mission using a Falcon 9 first stage booster with tail number B1082. This was its 22nd flight after launching missions like USSF-62, NROL-145 and OneWeb Launch 20.
More than eight minutes after takeoff, the B1082 drone landed on the ship, chanting ‘Of course I still love you.’ This was the 199th landing on this spacecraft and the 617th booster landing ever for SpaceX.
