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SpaceXFalcon 9 Block 5Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Starlink Group 17-38

Launched

August 8, 2026 · 16:35 UTC

Launch Successful
Space X Starlink Mission Patch

Image: SpaceX

Summary

SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 successfully delivered 24 Starlink satellites to orbit from Vandenberg, adding to the constellation providing space-based internet.

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Vehicle
Falcon 9 Block 5 · SpaceXStarlink
Booster
  • B1093 · flight 16 · Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship at Of Course I Still Love You · landed230/238 landed here · 25 days after its previous flight, Starlink Group 15-14 · 574 km downrange
Mission
Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)for SpX
Milestone
618th Falcon 9 Block 5 flight · 92nd this yearSpaceX's 714th launch95th this yearhumanity's 7,360th orbital launch attempt187th orbital launch attempt this year

Flight preview

Simulate in Flight Club

Orbit: as tracked

292 × 294 km · 97.3°At launchearliest tracked set, 2026-08-12
97.3°Inclination
350 × 352 kmPerigee × apogeefrom mean elements
91.4 minPeriodfrom mean elements
292.5°Ascending node
39 d agoElement epoch2026-09-06 15:36 UTC · stale

STARLINK-38191 · NORAD 100246 · 2026-181A · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 24 objects

Show the numbers for orbit elements
Object
STARLINK-38191
Object ID
2026-181A
Epoch
2026-09-06 15:36:32 UTC
Mean motion
15.75186245 rev/day
Eccentricity
0.00014915
Inclination
97.2837°
Ascending node
292.4605°
Arg. of perigee
128.5273°
Mean anomaly
231.6126°
Element set
999
Rev at epoch
572
B*
0.0010089212

Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent simulated from a published stage table. Booster return drawn from padside's representative arc.

Flight timeline

23 steps, T−38 min to T+1 h 1 min
  1. T−38MGO for Prop Load
  2. T−35MStage 1 LOX Load
  3. T−35MProp Load
  4. T−16MStage 2 LOX Load
  5. T−7MEngine Chill
  6. T−1MTank Press
  7. T−1MStartup
  8. T−45SGO for Launch
  9. T−3SIgnition
  10. T−0Liftoff
  11. T+1M8SMax-Q
  12. T+2M25SMECO
  13. T+2M29SStage 2 Separation
  14. T+2M36SSES-1
  15. T+2M57SFairing Separation
  16. T+5M59SEntry Burn Startup
  17. T+6M47SEntry Burn Shutdown
  18. T+7M56SStage 1 Landing Burn
  19. T+8M19SStage 1 Landing
  20. T+8M40SSECO-1
  21. T+52M24SSES-2
  22. T+52M25SSECO-2
  23. T+1H1M16SStarlink Deployment

About this launch

Starlink Group 17-38 launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on August 8, 2026 at 16:35 UTC. The launch window ran from 14:00 to 18:00 UTC. It was SpaceX's 714th launch, 95th this year and humanity's 7,360th orbital launch attempt. It was the 618th Falcon 9 Block 5 flight and the 92nd this year. Booster B1093 flew for the 16th time and landed at Of Course I Still Love You. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). The earliest tracked orbit of STARLINK-38191, one of 24 catalogued objects, from August 12, 2026, was 292 × 294 km inclined 97.3°.

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

Official page: SpaceX

News

2 stories

Airspace and maritime notices

1 notice filed by the US Coast Guard

  • Sector San Diego, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)/Space Operations/Hazardous Warning Area/Commercial (Hazardous) · Expired

    Matched by notice text · Source

Pad

Map of Space Launch Complex 4E

Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

288th launch from Space Launch Complex 4E, 50th this year · 904th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Local pad time at liftoff: Aug 8, 9:35 AM PDT, in daylight

303 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

3 days 23 hours after the previous launch from this pad

All launches from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USAOpen in maps

Updates

Launch success.

Cosmic_Penguin · Aug 8, 2026 · source

Show 9 earlier updates

  • Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started

    LL2 · 8/8/2026 · source

  • Liftoff.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 8/8/2026 · source

  • Liftoff.

    LL2 · 8/8/2026 · source

  • Now targeting Aug 08 at 16:35 UTC

    Cosmic_Penguin · 8/8/2026 · source

  • Now targeting Aug 08 at 16:23 UTC

    Cosmic_Penguin · 8/7/2026 · source

  • Now targeting Aug 08 at 16:24 UTC

    Cosmic_Penguin · 8/7/2026 · source

  • Now targeting Aug 08 at 14:00 UTC

    Nosu · 7/29/2026 · source

  • Now targeting Aug 07 at 14:00 UTC

    Cosmic_Penguin · 7/27/2026 · source

  • Added launch.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 7/27/2026 · source

Questions

When did Starlink Group 17-38 launch?

Starlink Group 17-38 launched on August 8, 2026 at 16:35 UTC. The launch window ran from 14:00 to 18:00 UTC.

Where can I watch Starlink Group 17-38?

Coverage: SpaceX Starlink Group 17-38; Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, California; Starlink Mission. Watch the replay

What rocket launched Starlink Group 17-38?

Falcon 9 Block 5, flown by SpaceX. Falcon 9 Block 5 spec sheet

Where did Starlink Group 17-38 launch from?

Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. Liftoff was Aug 8, 9:35 AM PDT local time at the pad.

Did the booster land?

Booster B1093 flew for the 16th time and landed at Of Course I Still Love You.

What orbit did Starlink Group 17-38 reach?

The earliest tracked orbit of STARLINK-38191, one of 24 catalogued objects, from August 12, 2026, was 292 × 294 km inclined 97.3°.

Which program is Starlink Group 17-38 part of?

Starlink. About Starlink