SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon Test Flight (December 8, 2010)

While production of rockets and satellites continues across much of the space industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, engineers at several space companies — including SpaceX, Virgin Orbit and Blue Origin — have started working on medical devices and protective equipment in response to shortages in hospitals across the United States.

A previously-undisclosed payload funded by a U.S. military research agency rode into orbit with a Spanish communications satellite on SpaceX’s most recent Falcon 9 rocket launch March 6, officials said Friday.

SpaceX was looking to rebound from a week of scuttled launches with a Falcon 9 launch from California but the Starlink 7-9 mission was delayed to Dec. 28 for unspecified reasons.