News

SpaceX says the effects of a solar storm will destroy as many as 40 of 49 new Starlink internet satellites launched from Florida last week.

Another 49 Starlink internet satellites lifted off Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket, notching SpaceX’s third launch and landing this week, and the company’s sixth mission in 28 days.

SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 rocket launch of the week carried 49 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, continuing the rapid build-out of the company’s commercial broadband network. Liftoff from launch pad 39A occurred at 1:13:20 p.m. EST (1813:20 GMT), and the first stage landed on SpaceX’s offshore drone ship.

SpaceX hauled a classified payload into orbit for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, accomplishing another successful launch and landing on the second of three Falcon 9 rocket missions planned this week.

SpaceX launched a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office at 12:27 p.m. PST (3:27 p.m. EST; 2027 GMT) Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. After sending the NRO payload toward polar orbit, the Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Vandenberg for landing.

A spectacular launch from Cape Canaveral just after sunset Monday delivered to orbit Italy’s second satellite in a new generation of COSMO-SkyMed radar remote sensing spacecraft. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket put on a memorable sky show over Florida’s Space Coast during its climb into space and return to Earth.