Starlink Group 17-35 Launches on Falcon 9 — 7 April 2026 Recap

What happened?

SpaceX successfully launched the Starlink Group 17-35 mission on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on 7 April 2026 at 02:50:39 UTC. The mission delivered a batch of Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit and marked another success for SpaceX's West Coast Starlink cadence.

Falcon 9 is a two-stage, partially reusable orbital rocket built and operated by SpaceX. Starlink is the company's satellite constellation providing broadband internet globally, and it is by far the largest satellite network ever built, with more than 7,000 operational spacecraft in orbit.

Did the launch succeed?

Yes. According to SpaceX, the launch was a success. The Falcon 9 first stage completed its burn, separated, and the second stage continued to orbit to deploy the Starlink satellites. Vandenberg-launched Starlink missions target inclined orbits that fill in coverage over higher latitudes, complementing the Florida launch corridors.

When did it launch?

What was the payload?

The payload was a stack of SpaceX's Starlink v2 Mini satellites, the current-generation spacecraft that fly on Vandenberg missions. Each Starlink v2 Mini weighs roughly 800 kg and carries larger antennas and more capable phased-array hardware than the original v1.0 satellites, boosting per-satellite bandwidth.

The "Group 17" designation identifies the specific orbital shell the satellites are targeting. SpaceX deploys Starlink into multiple shells at altitudes near 550 km, spread across a range of orbital inclinations so the constellation blankets nearly the entire populated surface of Earth. West Coast launches from Vandenberg typically place satellites into shells with inclinations well above 50 degrees.

What is the Starlink constellation?

Starlink delivers low-latency broadband via a mesh of satellites in low Earth orbit, with signals routed to ground stations and, increasingly, between satellites via laser inter-satellite links. The network now serves millions of subscribers across more than 100 countries. Every new batch — like Group 17-35 — steadily expands capacity and resilience.

• Orbit type: Low Earth orbit, near 550 km altitude
• Satellite type: Starlink v2 Mini (~800 kg each)
• Launch site: Vandenberg SFB, well suited for high-inclination orbits

How does Falcon 9 reusability work?

The Falcon 9 Block 5 first stage is designed to fly, land, and refly. After stage separation, the booster performs entry and landing burns and touches down for recovery — Vandenberg missions land on a droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX has now reflown individual Falcon 9 boosters more than 20 times each, a reuse record no other operator has matched, and each recovered booster cuts the cost and turnaround time of subsequent flights.

Fairing halves are also recovered and reused, further reducing per-mission hardware costs. This reusability is the engine behind SpaceX's launch cadence, which now regularly exceeds 100 orbital flights per year.

How to track the satellites

You can follow the newly deployed Starlink Group 17-35 satellites as they spread out and raise their orbits on Cosmik's live 3D solar system and satellite map. Freshly launched batches often appear as a bright "train" of closely spaced objects for the first days after deployment — see our Starlink train tracker to spot them overhead.

For more on the constellation and upcoming batches, visit the Starlink mission hub. You can also browse the full rocket launch schedule and the latest SpaceX launches, or explore missions flown from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Where does the data come from?

Launch timing and status details are sourced from public launch databases including The Space Devs Launch Library. Background on the rocket and constellation draws on publicly documented information about Falcon 9 and Starlink.

Follow the next launch live

Track Starlink Group 17-35 and every satellite in orbit in real time on Cosmik's live 3D map, and enable free launch alerts so you never miss the next Falcon 9 liftoff. Check the latest launch news for upcoming missions.