On May 20, 2026, at 02:46:19 UTC, a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, carrying the Starlink Group 17-42 mission. The vehicle delivered 24 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit in a sun-synchronous trajectory as part of SpaceX’s ongoing constellation expansion.
The first-stage booster, designated B1103 on its second flight, executed a nominal entry burn and landing burn before touching down on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) positioned in the Pacific Ocean. No anomalies or unexpected events were reported during ascent, stage separation, or recovery operations.
Payload deployment occurred on schedule approximately 61 minutes after liftoff, with all 24 satellites released into their planned initial orbit. The mission marked another routine success for the Falcon 9 program and the Starlink constellation.