SpaceX Launches 50th Starlink Mission of 2026 from Vandenberg
Summary: SpaceX successfully launched its 50th dedicated Starlink mission of 2026 on May 30, deploying 24 Starlink 17-41 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The booster B1082 completed its 22nd flight and successfully landed on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" — the 199th landing on that vessel and the 617th booster landing overall for SpaceX.
Mission Overview
The Starlink 17-41 mission launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday morning Pacific Daylight Time (8:25 a.m. PDT / 3:25 p.m. UTC). The rocket flew a south-southwesterly trajectory, deploying the 24 broadband internet satellites to low Earth orbit.
The first stage booster, tail number B1082, flew its 22nd mission. Previous flights included USSF-62, NROL-145, and OneWeb Launch 20.
Booster Landing
About eight minutes after liftoff, B1082 landed on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This was the 199th landing on that vessel and the 617th booster landing to date for SpaceX. SpaceX also attempted to recover the Falcon 9 fairing halves using its recovery ship Doug.
Starlink Constellation Status
With this launch, the Starlink low Earth orbit constellation now comprises more than 10,000 spacecraft in orbit. The May 30 mission marks SpaceX's 50th dedicated Starlink launch of 2026, maintaining the company's pace for another record-breaking year of Starlink deployments.