The Starlink 17-39 mission lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 21, 2026. Image: SapceX.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched two dozen Starlink V2 Mini broadband internet satellites to its massive low Earth orbit constellation on Tuesday, a day after liftoff was scrubbed by a rare abort during engine ignition.
Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California came at 7:49 a.m. PDT (10:49 a.m. EDT / 1449 UTC). The first launch attempt for the Starlink 17-39 mission ended as the countdown clock hit zero when an issue popped up during the ignition sequence. All nine Merlin 1D engines appeared to ignite but then shutdown in a flash of fire and smoke.
But on Tuesday, all appeared to go smoothly, with the rocket lifting off from Space Launch Complex 4 East under mostly clear skies, taking a south-southwesterly trajectory to reach a 97-degree inclination orbit. Deployment of the 24 Starlink satellites came just over an hour into flight.
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