Continuing the rapid expansion of its satellite internet system, SpaceX successfully launched 24 additional Starlink satellites on May 19, 2026, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission marked the company’s 2nd Starlink launch of the year as it moves closer to reaching 10,500 active satellites in orbit.
The satellites, part of group 17-42, were carried aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 10:46 p.m. EDT. The satellites entered a provisional orbit within 9 minutes after launch and were fully deployed roughly 50 minutes later.
The mission used Falcon 9 booster B1103, which had previously flown once before. After completing stage separation, the booster successfully returned to Earth and landed on SpaceX’s drone ship named “Of Course I Still Love You.”
Reusable rockets continue to play a major role in SpaceX’s launch strategy. Instead of discarding rockets after a single flight, the company recovers and refurbishes them for future missions, helping reduce overall launch costs.
With this latest deployment, the Starlink megaconstellation is now approaching 10,500 active satellites in low-Earth orbit, according to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell. These satellites operate at altitudes between 340 kilometers and 570 kilometers above Earth, significantly closer than traditional geostationary communication satellites, which orbit at around 35,786 kilometers.
The lower orbit allows Starlink to deliver internet connectivity with latency below 27 milliseconds. This helps support services such as video conferencing, online gaming, and high-speed internet access in remote and underserved regions where reliable connectivity was previously limited.
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