In a remarkable achievement for the aerospace industry, SpaceX successfully launched its third Falcon 9 rocket within a mere 41 hours, continuing its streak of rapid deployments. The latest mission, known as Starlink 17-11, took flight from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday night, marking another milestone in the company's efforts to enhance global internet coverage.
The Starlink 17-11 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at precisely 9:26 p.m. PDT (12:26 a.m. EDT / 0426 UTC). During this mission, SpaceX deployed 24 of its new Starlink V2 Mini broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit, significantly expanding its satellite constellation dedicated to providing high-speed internet access worldwide.
A standout feature of this launch was the performance of the first stage booster, designated B1082, which completed its 16th flight. This booster had previously supported a variety of missions, including NROL-145, USSF-62, and OneWeb Launch 20, as well as 12 earlier batches of Starlink satellites. The impressive reliability of this booster underlines SpaceX's commitment to reusability in spaceflight.
Approximately 8.5 minutes post-liftoff, booster B1082 executed a successful autonomous landing on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You. This event marked the 153rd landing for this particular vessel and the 512th successful booster landing overall. Such achievements highlight SpaceX's pioneering role in making space more accessible through efficient and cost-effective launch practices.
Notably, this mission counted as SpaceX’s 475th launch utilizing a flight-proven booster and the 540th overall launch of a Falcon 9 rocket. These figures illustrate the rapid pace at which SpaceX is advancing its space launch capabilities, setting new records and reinforcing its position as a leader in the aerospace sector.
With the deployment of the 24 Starlink satellites, SpaceX continues to move closer to its goal of providing global internet coverage, revolutionizing the way people connect around the world.
