Q&A with Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin

Despite a growing number of rocket options, the availability of on-time launch services remains a key factor in getting BlackSky’s constellation of Earth-imaging smallsats into orbit. SpaceX’s rideshare launch service will give BlackSky a chance to add two more spacecraft to its fleet on a Falcon 9 rocket with the next batch of Starlink Internet payloads.

SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are readying for the company’s 10th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year Wednesday, another flight devoted to delivering satellites to orbit for the Starlink internet network.

SpaceX successfully launched an oft-delayed Falcon 9 rocket mission at 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT) Friday after more than a week of delays caused by issues with super-chilled liquid oxygen propellant, a boat the strayed into restricted waters offshore Cape Canaveral, and extreme upper level winds. The experimental recovery of the first stage on an ocean-going barge was not a success.