Starlink Group 17-40 Recap: Falcon 9 Flew 28 June 2026

What happened?

SpaceX launched the Starlink Group 17-40 mission on a Falcon 9 Block 5 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 16:09:18 UTC on 28 June 2026, and the flight was a success. Starlink Group 17-40 is a batch of SpaceX's flat-panel internet satellites bound for low Earth orbit to expand the company's global broadband network.

The two-stage Falcon 9 is a partially reusable orbital rocket built and flown by SpaceX. Standing 70 meters tall and powered by nine Merlin engines on its first stage, the vehicle is the most-flown orbital rocket in operation, with the Block 5 variant designed for rapid reuse of the booster and payload fairings.

Did the launch succeed?

Yes. According to SpaceX, the mission reached its intended low Earth orbit and the Starlink satellites were deployed as planned. The launch lifted off on time from the West Coast, taking advantage of Vandenberg's polar and high-inclination trajectories over the Pacific Ocean.

Launch details at a glance

What is the payload?

The payload was a batch of Starlink satellites, the low-cost, mass-produced spacecraft that form SpaceX's broadband megaconstellation. Each modern Starlink v2 Mini satellite weighs several hundred kilograms and is stacked flat inside the fairing, with dozens released in a single deployment. Once separated, the satellites use onboard ion thrusters to raise themselves to their operational altitude, typically around 550 km, where they join the network delivering low-latency internet to users worldwide.

The Starlink constellation has grown past 7,000 operational satellites, making it by far the largest satellite fleet ever assembled. Group 17-40 designates one of the orbital shells SpaceX fills incrementally, and West Coast launches from Vandenberg feed the higher-inclination planes that improve coverage at northern and southern latitudes.

What about the booster?

Falcon 9 first stages routinely return to Earth for reuse, landing either on an autonomous droneship in the Pacific or back at a landing zone. SpaceX's fleet-leading boosters have now flown well beyond 20 missions each, and reuse of the same core across dozens of flights is central to the company's cadence of launching Starlink batches every few days.

How to watch the replay

SpaceX typically streams its Starlink launches live, with the webcast beginning a few minutes before liftoff and running through booster landing and satellite deployment. If you missed the live broadcast, the replay covers the ascent, stage separation, and the moment the satellites are released into orbit.

Track the satellites live

You can follow the newly deployed Starlink spacecraft as they spread out and climb toward their operational orbit. In the days after launch, the satellites travel in a distinctive line — the so-called Starlink train — which is visible to the naked eye under the right conditions. Our Starlink tracker shows each object in real time on a 3D map of Earth.

Explore the full SpaceX launch schedule, browse upcoming missions from Vandenberg, or check the latest launch news. Launch data is sourced from The Space Devs Launch Library.

Follow it on Cosmik

See exactly where Starlink Group 17-40 is right now on the Cosmik live 3D map, track every satellite in orbit, and turn on free launch alerts so you never miss the next Falcon 9 liftoff.