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SpaceX to launch trio of Falcon 9 rockets this week
A wayward cruise ship has singlehandedly delayed two SpaceX launches and forced schedule changes that could see three Falcon 9 rockets lift off just a handful of days apart.
Originally scheduled to launch six days apart on January 27th, January 28th, and February 2nd, a string of mostly weather-related delays has pushed SpaceX’s launch of the Italian CSG-2 radar satellite – the first of the series – to January 28th, 29th, 30th, and now the 31st. Weather for the fifth launch attempt looks optimal, so barring another stroke of terrible maritime luck, CSG-2 will once again attempt to lift off at 6:11 pm EST (23:11 UTC) on Monday, January 31st.
If all goes to plan, CSG-2 will be SpaceX’s fourth launch of the month and year, leaving the company more or less on track to achieve a target of 52 launches – an average of one launch per week – in 2022. It will also be the seventh time SpaceX has launched four or more times in less than four weeks – the first instance of which occurred less than a year and a half ago.
According to SpaceX’s CSG-2 webcast host (also an engineer at the company), January 31st will be SpaceX’s last consecutive CSG-2 launch attempt if another issue arises. The company will apparently turn its full attention to the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO) NROL-87 spy satellite no less than a day and a half before its scheduled 12:18 pm PST (20:18 UTC), Wednesday, February 2nd liftoff. If true, that means that a lone cruise ship will have ultimately delayed a commercial Falcon 9 launch by at least 24 hours and a separate Starlink Falcon 9 launch by at least three days.

Prior to that ship’s unwelcome appearance, Starlink 4-7 was scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) 2pm EST (19:00 UTC) on Monday, January 31st. Now, unless SpaceX decides that it can afford to support three different Falcon 9 launch attempts – spread out across all three of its orbital launch pads – as few as ~41 hours apart, Starlink 4-7 will probably have to wait until February 3rd at the earliest. Obviously, three launches in ~65 hours would still be an extremely impressive achievement for SpaceX and the Falcon family. It would also be a new record, narrowly edging out the old record of three launches in ~69 hours set in December 2021. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that Starlink 4-7 could launch as early as 1:56 pm EST (18:56 UTC), February 1st, so there’s still a chance that SpaceX will launch three Falcon 9 rockets in less than 48 hours.
It’s clear that SpaceX is making significant progress in increasing its launch cadence capabilities and sustaining those increases. Nonetheless, the more SpaceX pushes that envelope, the more and more common similar knock-on delays and rare launch abort scenarios will become – just an inevitable consequence of any attempt to make orbital launches truly common and routine.
Tune in below around 5:55 pm EST (22:55 UTC), January 31st to watch Falcon 9’s fifth CSG-2 launch attempt live.
Elon Musk
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge.”
The Woodlands Township, Texas, has formally entered The Boring Company’s tunneling sweepstakes.
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” which offers up to one mile of tunnel construction at no cost to a selected community.
The Woodlands’ proposal, dubbed “The Current,” features two parallel 12-foot-diameter tunnels beneath the Town Center corridor near The Waterway. Teslas would shuttle passengers between Waterway Square, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Town Green Park and nearby hotels during concerts and large-scale events, as noted in a Chron report.
Township officials framed the tunnel as a solution for the township’s traffic congestion issues. The Pavilion alone hosts more than 60 shows each year and can accommodate crowds of up to 16,500, often straining Lake Robbins Drive and surrounding intersections.
“We know we have traffic impacts and pedestrian movement challenges, especially in the Town Center area,” Chris Nunes, chief operating officer of The Woodlands Township, stated during the meeting.
“The Current” mirrors the Loop system operating beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through underground tunnels between venues and resorts.
The Boring Company issued its request for proposals (RFP) in mid-January, inviting cities and districts to pitch local uses for its tunneling technology. The Woodlands must submit its application by Feb. 23, though no timeline has been provided for when a winning community will be announced.
Nunes confirmed that the board has authorized a submission for “The Current’s” proposal, though he emphasized that the project is still in its preliminary stages.
“The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has authorized staff to submit an application to The Boring Company, which has issued an RFP for communities interested in leveraging their technology to address community challenges,” he said in a statement.
“The Board believes that an underground tunnel would provide a safe and efficient means to transport people to and from various high-use community amenities in our Town Center.”
News
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.