A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday, deploying 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit. Liftoff occurred at 8:51 a.m. PDT, with the rocket targeting a 97-degree inclination trajectory from Space Launch Complex 4E. The booster, B1100, landed successfully on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" about 380 miles downrange in the Pacific Ocean. This mission, designated Starlink 17-51, represents the company's continued tempo of internet constellation deployments.
The first stage booster completed its eighth flight, having previously launched the NROL-105 national security mission and six Starlink launches. SpaceX confirmed successful deployment of the satellites into a 168 x 160-mile orbit roughly an hour after liftoff. The mission was the seventh of eight planned Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg scheduled for the month.
Vandenberg has become SpaceX's primary Falcon 9 launch site in recent months as the company concentrates resources on Starship development and testing in Florida. During the same period, only four Falcon 9 missions have flown from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 40, with one additional flight planned. The shift reflects SpaceX's operational priorities as it advances its fully reusable heavy-lift vehicle program.
- Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5
- Payload: Starlink V2 Mini, 24 satellites
- Site: Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-4E
- Orbit: 168 x 160 mile, 97-degree inclination
- Window: 2026-07-26T15:51:00Z
- Customer: SpaceX
- Outcome: success