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SpaceX set for expendable Falcon 9 Block 5 launch attempt after 48 hour scrub

Falcon 9 B1054 awaits its first and last launch at Pad 40. (SpaceX)

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Following a reported bug with Falcon 9 booster sensors that triggered a launch abort on the morning of December 18th, SpaceX has mitigated those problems and is ready to try again, hopefully placing the first of 10 new USAF GPS III satellites into orbit shortly after a 9:03 am EST (14:03 UTC) liftoff on December 20th.

Aside from being the first time SpaceX has launched a dedicated USAF mission won through a competitive procurement process, the launch of GPS III Space Vehicle 1 (SV01) will also be the first time SpaceX has intentionally expended a new Falcon 9 booster since July 2017, as well as the first time ever that a Falcon 9 Block 5 booster will be expended without attempting to land.

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Standing vertical at SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) pad, Block 5 booster B1054 looks undeniably incomplete or just off without grid fins and landing legs installed, like toast without butter or a Tesla with a V8 in place of its electric motors. The fact that Falcon 9 B1054 is a brand-new booster simply throws salt on the wound. However, the expendable configuration does serve as a reminder that, when it really comes down to it, SpaceX’s launch customers with as much sway as the Air Force ultimately have a major (if not final) say in the rocket’s trajectory.

If a customer demands an almost ridiculous level of redundancy, SpaceX likely has little to no say in that decision, even if it means that a brand new Falcon 9 Block 5 booster – designed to launch anywhere from 10-100 times in its lifetime – will have to be disposed of in the ocean after just one. While the performance-based decision to expend Falcon 9 appears to be far more of a security blanket than a practical necessity, it does still serve as a reminder that some exceptionally heavy payloads and/or high-energy orbits will inevitably preclude Falcon 9 or even Falcon Heavy from attempting booster landings. Down the road, major NASA or national security payloads will likely continue to demand expendable configurations, at least until BFR (Starship/Super Heavy) can take over from Falcon 9 and Heavy.

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Although SpaceX does appear to be serious Thursday’s launch attempt, the weather conditions are far from desirable thanks to the forecasted presence of “Electric Field, Cumulus/Thick Cloud, Disturbed Weather”, as well as the likelihood of strong upper-level winds near the Florida coast. With just a 20% chance that weather conditions will permit a launch and a brief 26-minute window of opportunity, there is little to no wiggle room for SpaceX to wait for a figurative break in the clouds, and another scrub seems extremely likely.

If the weather does force SpaceX to call off Thursday’s attempt, additional opportunities appear to be available on Friday (60% favorable) and Saturday (80% favorable). For now, however, Falcon 9 B1054 appears to have bought itself a few extra days to continue being an intact and (mostly) dry rocket. Catch the watch live at the link below.


For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Elon Musk shares updated Starship V3 maiden launch target date

The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a brief Starship V3 update in a post on social media platform X, stating the next launch attempt of the spacecraft could take place in about four weeks.

The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.

Musk’s update suggests that Starship Flight 12 could target a launch around early April, though the schedule will depend on several remaining milestones at SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in Texas.

Among the key steps is testing and certification of the site’s new launch tower, launch mount, and tank farm systems. These upgrades will support the next generation of Starship vehicles.

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Booster 19 is expected to roll to the launch site and be placed on the launch mount before returning to the production facility to receive its 33 Raptor engines. The booster would then return for a static fire test, which could mark the first time a Super Heavy booster equipped with Raptor V3 engines is fired on the pad.

Ship 39 is expected to undergo a similar preparation process. The vehicle will likely return to the production site to receive its six engines before heading to Massey’s test site for static fire testing.

Once both stages are prepared, the booster and ship will roll out to the launch site for the first full stack of a V3 Super Heavy and V3 Starship. A full wet dress rehearsal is expected to follow before any launch attempt.

Elon Musk has previously shared how SpaceX plans to eventually recover Starship’s upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. Musk noted that the company will only attempt to catch the Starship spacecraft after two successful soft landings in the ocean. The approach is intended to reduce risk before attempting a recovery over land.

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“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Such a milestone would represent a major step toward the full reuse of the Starship system, which remains a central goal for SpaceX’s long-term launch strategy.

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SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell details xAI power pledge at White House event

The commitment was announced during an event with United States President Donald Trump.

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Credit: xAI

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated that xAI will develop 1.2 gigawatts of power at its Memphis-area AI supercomputer site as part of the White House’s new “Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” 

The commitment was announced during an event with United States President Donald Trump.

During the White House event, Shotwell stated that xAI’s AI data center near Memphis would include a major energy installation designed to support the facility’s power needs.

“As you know, xAI builds huge supercomputers and data centers and we build them fast. Currently, we’re building one on the Tennessee-Mississippi state line. As part of today’s commitment, we will take extensive additional steps to continue to reduce the costs of electricity for our neighbors… 

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“xAI will therefore commit to develop 1.2 GW of power as our supercomputer’s primary power source. That will be for every additional data center as well. We will expand what is already the largest global Megapack power installation in the world,” Shotwell said.

She added that the system would provide significant backup power capacity.

“The installation will provide enough backup power to power the city of Memphis, and more than sufficient energy to power the town of Southaven, Mississippi where the data center resides. We will build new substations and invest in electrical infrastructure to provide stability to the area’s grid.”

Shotwell also noted that xAI will be supporting the area’s water supply as well. 

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“We haven’t talked about it yet, but this is actually quite important. We will build state-of-the-art water recycling plants that will protect approximately 4.7 billion gallons of water from the Memphis aquifer each year. And we will employ thousands of American workers from around the city of Memphis on both sides of the TN-MS border,” she noted. 

The Ratepayer Protection Pledge was introduced as part of the federal government’s effort to address concerns about rising electricity costs tied to large AI data centers, as noted in an Insider report. Under the agreement, companies developing major AI infrastructure projects committed to covering their own power generation needs and avoiding additional costs for local ratepayers.

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SpaceX to launch Starlink V2 satellites on Starship starting 2027

The update was shared by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Starlink Vice President Mike Nicolls.

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX is looking to start launching its next-generation Starlink V2 satellites in mid-2027 using Starship.

The update was shared by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Starlink Vice President Mike Nicolls during remarks at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.

“With Starship, we’ll be able to deploy the constellation very quickly,” Nicolls stated. “Our goal is to deploy a constellation capable of providing global and contiguous coverage within six months, and that’s roughly 1,200 satellites.”

Nicolls added that once Starship is operational, it will be capable of launching approximately 50 of the larger, more powerful Starlink satellites at a time, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.

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The initial deployment of roughly 1,200 next-generation satellites is intended to establish global and contiguous coverage. After that phase, SpaceX plans to continue expanding the system to reach “truly global coverage, including the polar regions,” Nicolls said.

Currently, all Starlink satellites are launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The next-generation fleet will rely on Starship, which remains in development following a series of test flights in 2025. SpaceX is targeting its next Starship test flight, featuring an upgraded version of the rocket, as soon as this month.

Starlink is currently the largest satellite network in orbit, with nearly 10,000 satellites deployed. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates the business could generate approximately $9 billion in revenue for SpaceX in 2026.

Nicolls also confirmed that SpaceX is rebranding its direct-to-cell service as Starlink Mobile.

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The service currently operates with 650 satellites capable of connecting directly to smartphones and has approximately 10 million monthly active users. SpaceX expects that figure to exceed 25 million monthly active users by the end of 2026.

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