SpaceX launched another batch of satellites for its Starlink internet service Thursday.
Liftoff of the Starlink 17-17 mission occurred at 4:03:19 p.m. PDT (7:03:19 p.m. EDT / 230319: UTC). The mission was originally scheduled for March 24 but was delayed two days for unknown reasons, presumably payload or vehicle issues.
The Falcon 9, with 25 Starlink satellites inside its payload fairing, took a southerly trajectory on departure from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, in California.
The first stage booster for this mission, serial number B1081 was making its 23rd flight. It entered service on the East Coast with the launch of the Crew 7 space station mission in August 2023. It went on to fly the CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48 and COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM3 missions, plus 12 previous Starlink deliveries.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1081 landed on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ marking the 186th touchdown on this vessel and the 591st booster landing for SpaceX to date.
The stack of Starlink satellites were deployed from the Falcon 9’s second stage just over an hour into flight.