Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 500th Starlink satellite in 2026 during Wednesday Falcon 9 flight

File – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands in the vertical launch position at Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the Starlink 17-5 mission on Aug. 18, 2025. This was the ninth flight for Falcon 9 booster, tail number B1088. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX is set to launch its 500th Starlink satellite of the year during a flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base Wednesday morning.

The Starlink 17-26 mission will add 25 broadband satellites to the growing constellation that’s nearing 10,000 spacecraft in low Earth orbit. With this launch, SpaceX will have flown 512 such satellites to orbit in 2026.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled 6:17:49 a.m. PST (9:17:49 a.m. EST / 1417:49 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket will fly on a southerly trajectory upon leaving the launch pad.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.



SpaceX will launch the Starlink 17-26 mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number 1093. This will be its 11th flight following two missions for the Space Development Agency and eight previous batches of Starlink satellites.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1093 will target a landing on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. If successful, this will be the 180th landing on this vessel and the 577th booster landing for SpaceX.