SpaceX kicked off a busy day with a Starlink satellite launch, which will be followed by the ninth-ever test flight of the company’s Starship megarocket, if all goes to plan.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today (May 27) at 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT; 9:57 a.m. local time), carrying the first batch of a new Starlink group into low Earth orbit (LEO). This mission, Starlink 17-1, was the 13th launch for this Falcon’s 9 first stage booster, designated B1082, which was successfully recovered after flight for refurbishment.
SpaceX Starlink mission designations correspond to the orbital inclinations of different satellite groups, with Starlink 17-1 beginning a new group inclination.
Main engine cutoff and stage separation with B1082 occurred 2.5 minutes into flight, with the Falcon 9’s upper stage continuing to LEO as the booster maneuvered to perform a deceleration burn.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1082 landed safely on SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The Starlink stack is expected to be released from the Falcon 9 upper stage’s payload adapter about one hour into flight, to begin moving into individualized orbits within the Starlink megaconstellation over the next several days.
SpaceX’s Starlink network consists of more than 7,000 operational satellites and counting. As a whole, they operate in a lattice that provides a blanket of coverage to nearly all of the planet. Starlink offers users a high-speed internet connection from anywhere customers are able to point their Starlink receiver toward the sky (other than the poles).
Today’s launch was SpaceX’s 63rd Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and 63rd liftoff so far this year.
The ninth flight test of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket is scheduled for later today, with an hour-long launch window opening at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). A livestream of Starship Flight Test 9 will be available on the Space.com homepage and YouTube channel, as well as on SpaceX’s Flight 9 mission page, the @SpaceX X account and X TV app.