GO! - SpaceX - Falcon 9 - Starlink 17-42 - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB - Space Affairs Live

Launch Date: May 18, 2026 Launch Time: 7:11 p.m. PDT (May 19, 0211 UTC, 04:11 CEST) Launch Window: Open until 11:11 p.m. PDT Launch Site: SLC-4E - Vandenberg Space Force Base, California Targeted Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Launch Inclination: South Launch Status: Nominal Orbit Insertion, Falcon 9 Booster landed on the droneship successful for its 33rd time! Mission: Starlink Group 17-42 Launch Provider: SpaceX Launcher System: Falcon 9 (Booster 1100 - Turnaround time 24 days) Flight for the Booster: 6 Previous Flights of the Booster: 5 - NROL-105 and four Starlink missions Droneship: Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) Price: $74 million (without payload) Diameter: 3,7 m Height: 70 meters Payload to Orbit: 22,800 LEO / 8,300 GTO Lift-Off Thrust: 7,607 kilonewtons Fairing: Diameter 5,2 meters / Height 13 meters Stages: 2 SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is targeting the launch of 24 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This will be the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-105 and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean. Residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what they experience will depend on weather and other conditions. You will find more information about the trajectory and data on the day of the launch here: https://flightclub.io/live Countdown Hr/Min/Sec Event 00:38:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load 00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins 00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins 00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins 00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch 00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks 00:01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins 00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch 00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start 00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff