Author:

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Friday morning launch will add another 21 satellites to the mega-constellation in low Earth orbit. As it happens, the booster flying this mission, tail number B1067 in the SpaceX fleet, will also be making its 21st flight. Liftoff of the Starlink 8-3 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 8:13 a.m. EDT (1213 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff. The Falcon 9 booster, B1067, flew a fifth of its previous missions in support of NASA. It launched the Crew-3 and Crew-4 astro...

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. Image: NASA. As NASA debates the safety of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in the wake of multiple helium leaks and thruster issues, the agency is “getting more serious” about a backup plan to bring the ship’s two crew members back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, officials said Wednesday. In that case — and no final decisions have been made — Starliner commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams would remain aboard the International Space Station for another six months and come down on a Crew Dragon that’s scheduled for launch Sept. 24 to carry long-duration crew members to the outpost. Two of...