Articles by Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday from California’s Central Coast with 49 Starlink internet satellites and a rideshare space tug for the Italian company D-Orbit, itself carrying tech demo experiments and cremated human remains for customers in the United States, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday with 49 Starlink internet satellites and a rideshare payload for the Italian company D-Orbit. Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California occurred at 8:15 a.m. PST (11:15 a.m. EST; 1615 GMT) after delays over the last two days to allow SpaceX to complete pre-launch preparations on the vehicle.

A Falcon 9 rocket thundered off a launch pad at Cape Canaveral before dawn Thursday with another batch of 56 Starlink satellites, setting a record for the heaviest payload ever launched on a SpaceX rocket at more than 38,000 pounds.

SpaceX’s first launch of the year from California, and fourth mission overall in 2023, added 51 more satellites to the Starlink internet constellation, keeping pace with the company’s goal of 100 Falcon rocket launches this year.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 7:43 a.m. PST (10:43 a.m. EST; 1543 GMT) Thursday with 51 more Starlink internet satellites. The mission was delayed more than a week due to bad weather.