SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites on July 25, deploying the Group 17-51 payload into low Earth orbit about an hour after liftoff from Vandenberg. Booster 1100 completed its eighth flight and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. The mission raised the active Starlink fleet to 10,865 and followed a Starship deployment trial that contributed data for NASA's Artemis III planning.
SpaceX Rockets 24 More Starlink Satellites Into Orbit After Starship Test
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 25, 2026.
SpaceX launched 24 additional satellites for its Starlink broadband constellation on Saturday, July 25, following a Starship test flight the previous day that demonstrated deployment capabilities.
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink Group 17-51 payload lifted off at 11:51 a.m. EDT (15:21 GMT / 8:51 a.m. PDT) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Roughly one hour after liftoff, the 24 satellites were released into low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned.
Credit: SpaceX
Booster Recovery and Fleet Update
First-stage Booster 1100 completed its eighth flight and successfully returned to the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. According to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, the deployment brought the total number of active Starlink satellites to 10,865. McDowell noted the fleet count briefly rose by about 20 units during a deployment-and-operations trial performed on Friday during the 13th test flight of SpaceX's Starship launcher.
Why This Matters
Although the Starship test was short-lived, it produced valuable data that helped inform NASA’s approval to carry Starlink systems on the crewed Artemis III mission to low Earth orbit, scheduled for next year. Saturday’s flight was also SpaceX’s 87th Falcon 9 mission so far this year, underscoring the company’s high launch cadence and growing broadband constellation.
Key Takeaway: The mission reaffirmed SpaceX’s ability to continue rapid Starlink deployments while recovering and reusing hardware, and it reinforced the operational lessons learned from recent Starship testing.
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