SpaceX is counting on Thursday for a West Coast launch of another batch of satellites for its Starlink internet service.
The launch of the Starlink 17-17 mission is scheduled during a launch window that opens at 4:03 p.m. PDT (7:03 p.m. EDT/2303 UTC). The mission was originally scheduled for March 24, but was delayed by two days due to unknown reasons, possibly payload or vehicle issues.
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the launch approximately 30 minutes before liftoff.
Falcon 9, with 25 Starlink satellites inside its payload fairing, will take a southern trajectory upon departure from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The first stage booster for this mission, serial number B1081, is making its 23rd flight. It entered service on the East Coast in August 2023 with the launch of the Crew 7 space station mission. It flew the CRS-29, Pace, Transporter-10, EarthCare, NROL-186, Transporter-13, Tracer, NROL-48, and the Cosmo-SkyMed second generation FM3 missions, as well as 12 previous Starlink deliveries.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the B1081 drone will land on the spacecraft, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, marking the 186th touchdown on the spacecraft and the 591st booster landing ever for SpaceX.
The stack of Starlink satellites will be deployed just one hour after liftoff from the Falcon 9 second stage.
