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SpaceX launches first Starlink mission of 2023 after eight delays
A Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched SpaceX’s Starlink 2-4 mission after seven delays pushed it from November 2022 to January 2023.
Starlink 2-4 was originally scheduled to launch as early as November 18th, 2022, but was delayed shortly after its Falcon 9 rocket conducted a static fire test. The delay was indefinite, and that specific rocket ultimately launched a different commercial payload in late December. The internet satellite launch was finally rescheduled for January 9th, 2023, kicking off a string of additional delays. Weather delayed the January 9th attempt. Issues with Falcon 9’s second stage delayed the January 10th attempt. Additional “pre-launch checkouts” delayed the launch from January 11th to the 14th, which was then pushed to January 15th for “constellation optimization.“
Poor weather delayed Starlink 2-4 from January 15th to January 18th, and SpaceX eventually delayed the mission to January 19th without explanation. On January 19th, SpaceX even delayed Starlink 2-4 an eighth time, from 7:23 am PST to 7:43 am PST. But at long last, Starlink 2-4 did, in fact, lift off at 7:43 am PST, ending the longest streak of delays experienced by SpaceX in several years.
The update that's rolling out to the fleet makes full use of the front and rear steering travel to minimize turning circle. In this case a reduction of 1.6 feet just over the air— Wes (@wmorrill3) April 16, 2024
In a rare twist, the first delay caused SpaceX to shuffle booster assignments, and Starlink 2-4 wound up with B1075. B1075 had never flown before, making Starlink 2-4 the second Starlink mission that has debuted a new Falcon booster. Ordinarily, SpaceX has always reserved new boosters – of which only a handful are built annually – for its more conservative customers. The US military in particular was slow to warm up to the idea of flying operational “national security” payloads on reused Falcon boosters, and often required (and paid for) new boosters whenever possible.
But even that wall mostly crumbled in 2022. SpaceX debuting another new Falcon 9 booster on its own low-priority Starlink mission is perhaps the best evidence of that. NASA and the US military have simply come to trust SpaceX’s flight-proven Falcon boosters, and no longer feel the need to reserve every new Falcon 9.
Falcon 9 booster B1075 ultimately aced its orbital-class launch debut and touched down on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) about nine minutes after liftoff. Assuming the seas are calm enough for B1075 to survive the return to Port of Long Beach, it likely has a long life of 15+ launches ahead of it. The Falcon upper stage launched by B1075 eventually reached low Earth orbit (LEO) and deployed another 51 Starlink V1.5 satellites about 30 minutes after liftoff. Starlink 2-4 should leave SpaceX with almost 3400 working Starlink satellites in orbit.
OCISLY gets an upgrade
B1075’s landing also revealed upgrades SpaceX has made to drone ship OCISLY since it was last used in October 2022. Harry Stranger first discovered the changes with satellite imagery, which revealed that SpaceX was upgrading OCISLY’s rectangular with angular ‘wings’. The wings appear to be identical to those installed on SpaceX’s newest drone ship, A Shortfall of Gravitas. ASOG debuted in mid-2021 with a number of upgrades not present on SpaceX’s two other drone ships. Most were intended to improve the ship’s resiliency, availability, and autonomy.
According to photographer Jerry Pike, the angular wings on ASOG (and now OCISLY) could make the drone ship much easier to tow. Reducing drag could also increase the effectiveness of their existing propulsion systems, potentially allowing them to maintain their position in harsher sea conditions and stronger currents than before. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that the ultimate goal is a fully-autonomous drone ship capable of heading to sea, recovering Falcon boosters, and returning to port without human intervention.
There is no evidence that SpaceX is any closer to that goal since ASOG’s debut 16 months ago. Nonetheless, OCISLY’s upgrades should improve the drone ship’s usability as SpaceX attempts to launch (and land) up to 100 rockets in 2023.
Tesla is planning for a new 300+ stall Supercharger station that will be an expansion of an existing facility, and the company is planning to add a surprise for the Semi.
The Firebaugh, California Supercharger is currently 72 Superchargers, but Tesla filed for an expansion that will add 232 additional plugs for passenger vehicles, and it also plans to add 16 Semichargers.
This will be the biggest Supercharger station Tesla will have to date, just months after it finished the Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, which has 168 stalls. This will have 304 total Supercharger stalls, and then the additional 16 Megachargers.
🚨 This Supercharger station will have 304 total stalls and 16 Semichargers following this expansion
Absolutely INSANE size 🔥
This is located on I-5, so many semis will be traveling along this route https://t.co/hM9hdLcWwg
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The Firebaugh Supercharger is located on I-5, which is a major reason for why Tesla has chosen the location for additional Megacharger plug-ins, as Tesla Semi Program Manager Dan Priestley said on X earlier today.
Lots of trucks to electrify on I-5
— Dan Priestley (@danWpriestley) January 13, 2026
The project was revealed by MarcoRP, a Supercharger tracker.
The expansion is a massive signal for charging demand, especially as Tesla’s Superchargers are opened to numerous automakers and are no longer exclusive to the company’s EVs. Additionally, the installation of Megachargers is a good sign to come for the Tesla Semi program, which aims to truly ramp up this year.
Tesla plans to launch production of the Semi later this year.
It could also mean Tesla is going to expand its footprint of large-scale Supercharger projects in the coming years, which would be a big boost as EV adoption continues to soar in the United States.
Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Tesla plans for new 300+ stall Supercharger with a special surprise for Semi
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
