Falcon 9 Starlink 17-17: Booster B1081 Completes 23rd Flight

SpaceX successfully launched the Starlink 17-17 mission at 4:03:19 p.m. PDT (23:03:19 UTC) from SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, deploying 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar orbit. This was SpaceX's 38th launch of 2026. Booster B1081 made its 23rd flight — having previously flown on NASA Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48, COSMO-SkyMed SGF3, and 12 prior Starlink missions. B1081 executed a flawless autonomous landing on drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff — the 186th touchdown on that vessel and SpaceX's 591st total booster recovery overall. The mission had been delayed from March 24 due to unspecified vehicle and payload readiness issues.