SpaceX is preparing to launch the Starlink 17-50 mission Tuesday night from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off at 8:45 p.m. PDT on a south-southwesterly trajectory, carrying 24 broadband satellites to low Earth orbit. The mission would expand the company’s large satellite network, which has about 11,000 spacecraft currently in orbit.
The launch is assigned to Falcon 9 booster B1097, making its 12th flight. Its previous missions included national-security and rideshare flights, as well as seven earlier Starlink deployments. Roughly eight minutes after liftoff, the booster is expected to attempt a landing on the Pacific drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. A successful recovery would mark the vessel’s 219th booster landing and SpaceX’s 651st Falcon booster landing overall.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/08/18/live-coverage-spacex-to-send-starlink-satellites-to-orbit-with-tuesday-night-launch-from-california/
The launch is assigned to Falcon 9 booster B1097, making its 12th flight. Its previous missions included national-security and rideshare flights, as well as seven earlier Starlink deployments. Roughly eight minutes after liftoff, the booster is expected to attempt a landing on the Pacific drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. A successful recovery would mark the vessel’s 219th booster landing and SpaceX’s 651st Falcon booster landing overall.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/08/18/live-coverage-spacex-to-send-starlink-satellites-to-orbit-with-tuesday-night-launch-from-california/