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SpaceX’s second Starlink Gen2 launch could set payload record [webcast]

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SpaceX’s second Starlink Gen2 launch will carry 56 satellites, potentially making it the heaviest payload the company has ever launched.

At 9:30 am EST, SpaceX completed a static fire of the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket assigned to launch its next Starlink mission. Half an hour later, SpaceX confirmed that the rocket performed well and is scheduled to launch no earlier than 4:32 am EST (09:32 UTC) on Thursday, January 26th. SpaceX didn’t state the mission’s purpose, but shorthand (“sl5-2”) used in an official website URL implies that it will be the second launch for its Starlink Gen2 satellite constellation.

SpaceX also reported that Starlink 5-2 will carry 56 satellites, meaning that the mission could set a new Falcon 9 payload record.

56 is not a record number of satellites for a SpaceX launch or a Starlink launch. SpaceX has launched a record 143 rideshare payloads at once, and the company routinely launched 60 Starlink satellites at a time throughout 2019, 2020, and part of 2021. But those Starlink satellites were the first versions (V1.0) of the spacecraft and weighed either 227 or 260 kilograms (500/570 lbs) apiece.

In the second half of 2021, SpaceX began launching new Starlink V1.5 satellites. Outfitted with new laser links (optical terminals) and other general upgrades, the new satellites reportedly weigh 303, 307, or 309 kilograms (668, 676, or 681 lb) each. The heavier design forced SpaceX to slightly reduce the number of satellites each launch could carry. After some optimization, SpaceX regularly launches up to 54 Starlink V1.5 satellites at a time, down from 60 V1.0 satellites.

The number of satellites may be smaller, but the mass of the payload launched has never been higher. SpaceX last broke Falcon 9’s payload mass record in August 2022, when it launched 54 Starlink V1.5 satellites for the first time. The payload reportedly weighed 16.7 tons (~36,800 lb), breaking the previous record of 16.25 tons by about 3%. The heaviest 60-satellite Starlink V1.0 payload weighed around 15.6 tons (~34,400 lb).

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Stacks of Starlink V1.0 and V1.5 satellites. (SpaceX)

Now, SpaceX says it will launch 56 Starlink satellites – likely heavier V1.5 variants – at once. If SpaceX hasn’t reduced the weight of each satellite, the payload could weigh anywhere from 16.97 to 17.3 tons (37,400-38,200 lb). Starlink 5-2 is targeting the same orbit as Starlink 5-1, which carried 54 satellites. The likeliest explanation for the heavier payload appears to be another iterative improvement to Falcon 9.

As SpaceX gains confidence in and experience with Falcon 9, it’s been able to tweak the timing of certain launch events, raise performance limits, and reduce certain margins. If Starlink 5-2’s Starlink satellites are unchanged, SpaceX’s tweaks will have collectively boosted Falcon 9’s performance by ~10% (15.6 to ~17 tons) in two years.

Gen1, V1.0, V1.5, Gen2, V2.0

Starlink 5-2 also continues the trend of confusion created by the company’s first Starlink Gen2 launch, which it deemed Starlink 5-1. The naming scheme implied that the satellites were a continuation of the company’s first constellation, Starlink Gen1, but SpaceX confirmed that they were actually the first Starlink Gen2 satellites. That SpaceX is launching 54 (and now 56) satellites also confirms that they are likely the same V1.5 satellites the company has been launching for 18 months.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has outright stated that the company could go bankrupt if it couldn’t begin launching much larger Starlink V2.0 satellites on its Starship rocket in the near future. Instead, SpaceX is doing the exact opposite and is populating its Starlink Gen2 constellation with Gen1-sized satellites. It’s unclear when SpaceX will begin launching the larger Starlink V2.0 satellites that were meant to be the mainstay of the Gen2 constellation.

Tune in below around 4:25 am EST (09:15 UTC), January 25th, to watch SpaceX’s second Starlink Gen2 launch live.

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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SpaceX reports its second earnings today: here’s what to expect

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) will report its second public earnings call today since its IPO earlier this year, and there are a few things we expect to hear about, as well as Wall Street analysts, who have already outlined their expectations for the call.

Wall Street analysts have a consensus of $12.72 billion in revenue and an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.13. These are broken down into three sectors: Space, Connectivity, and AI/SI, which are perceived in this way:

  • Space: $1.41 billion
  • Connectivity: $4.84 billion
  • AI/SI: $6.47 billion

Other outlets cluster near $12.8 or $12.9 billion in revenue and $0.14 – $0.15 EPS. This implies a roughly 65 percent sequential growth from Q2’s $7.81 billion, driven mostly by AI/SI, with the first post-IPO positive EPS expected.

SpaceX just launched its secret Starfall saucer again

Here are the three things to watch for on the call:

AI Revenue Ramp and the $100B+ ARR target

AI is truly the swing factor for SpaceX, and analysts expect it to roughly double from Q2’s $2.56 billion and become about half of total revenue. Management previously guided to a $100 billion+ annualized run rate by December, including the Cursor acquisition, which was $60 billion, to close the quarter.

SpaceX makes first acquisition post-IPO

Listen for updates on SpaceX’s compute capacity, especially pertaining to its contracts with Google, Anthropic, and others, revenue per watt, any new deals, and Cursor’s early contribution.

Starlink/Connectivity Metrics and Mobile Expansion

Connectivity remains a main profit engine for SpaceX. Subscriber additions will be something to pay attention to, as Q2 ended at 12 million and previews are looking at 14 million for this quarter. Additionally, ARPU trends, enterprise and government growth, and any commentary on Starlink Mobile will be something to pay attention to, especially following the recent low-band spectrum deal and FCC-related constellation approvals.

Capex Trajectory, Cash Burn/FCF, and Starship/Operational Updates

Q2 capex of roughly $18.4 billion weighed on the stock. Investors will look to scrutinize Q3 spending levels, any guidance on the pace into Q4/2027, free cash flow, backlog, and liquidity. Operational color on Starship (Flight 14 milestones and Flight 15 timing/reusability progress), Falcon cadence, and government/NASA contracts are also in focus.

Of course, there will also be some speculation on the potential Tesla-SpaceX merger, but there was nothing mentioned in the company’s proxy it sent earlier this week.

SpaceX will report earnings after market close today and will stream the call on X.

Interested in ordering a Tesla? Use my referral code for three free months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) here

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SpaceX just launched its secret Starfall saucer again

SpaceX launched its Starfall capsule again on Bandwagon-5, this time listed openly beside rideshare customers.

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An artist’s illustration of a SpaceX Starfall capsule reentering Earth’s atmosphere. (Image: SpaceX)
An artist’s illustration of a SpaceX Starfall capsule reentering Earth’s atmosphere. (Image: SpaceX)

SpaceX launched its Starfall reentry capsule for the second time on Tuesday morning, flying it as the payload of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida at 7:04 a.m. ET with 32 payloads, and the first stage booster, on its 19th flight, landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about nine minutes later.

Starfall was scheduled to separate last, 2 hours and 48 minutes after liftoff. The final customer satellite on SpaceX’s mission timeline comes off the upper stage about an hour and nine minutes in, which left a long gap before the capsule was due to be released alone. SpaceX later posted that the payload deployment sequence is complete. At liftoff, the company said Starfall “enables affordable, routine access to a microgravity environment, providing unique opportunities for on-orbit manufacturing, scientific research, and testing.”

As Teslarati reported before the first Starfall flight, SpaceX made no public announcement about the vehicle then, and nearly everything known came from FAA and FCC filings. This time Starfall is an item name on the official mission page, listed beside paying rideshare customers. SpaceX has still not said what, if anything, is aboard this Starfall, Spaceflight Now noted.

The FAA’s environmental assessment from May describes a disk about 10.2 feet wide and 2.5 feet tall that weighs roughly 4,600 pounds and can bring 2,200 pounds of payload back to Earth.

Interestingly, the same rocket also carries a competitor’s hardware. Varda Space Industries launched its W-Series 7 capsule on Bandwagon-5, a spacecraft about three times smaller than Starfall that will test whether microgravity can improve the solubility of a cancer drug called Protac. It is Varda’s ninth reentry capsule, and W-8 and W-9 launched earlier this month on Transporter-18. SpaceX has been Varda’s launch provider since the company’s first Falcon 9 rideshare contract in 2021.

SpaceX has not published where or how this Starfall will come down. The preview we ran in June described a recovery from the Pacific Ocean, and the company has not said whether this flight follows the same plan. The launch also arrives hours before SpaceX posts its third quarter results after the market closes, a report we previewed earlier this week.

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The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”

The Boring Company has modified a Tesla powered tunnel truck to carry freight containers underground.

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The Boring Company has found a second job for the Tesla hardware it already runs underground. In a post on X, Elon Musk’s tunneling company showed its latest Prufrock Liner Truck modified to carry a standard 20 foot shipping container. “Using TBC tunnels to transport freight,” the company wrote. “The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20′ shipping container. Fits like a glove!”

The photo shows a red container sitting on a long, low white chassis parked outside, with drive hardware visible at one end. The Boring Company did not say where or when freight hauling would start, which customers it has in mind, or how many trucks it is converting.

Until now, the liner trucks have hauled concrete. Teslarati reported in August on Liner Truck 3, which uses Model 3 battery packs and drive units to move more than 22,000 pounds of precast tunnel segments to the boring machine. It has 28 miles of range, tops out at 12 mph, and is piloted remotely from the company’s operations center in Texas. The freight version appears to be the same platform with a different bed, and The Boring Company has not said whether it will also be remotely piloted.

Freight has been on the company’s menu for years. When TBC updated its product lineup in 2021, its freight tunnel was described as sized to fit a standard shipping container, “barely.” The company later used the idea at Tesla’s own factory, where Prufrock 3 dug a tunnel to Giga Texas that now moves finished Cybertrucks away from the production line.

The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D in September at a $23 billion valuation, and Teslarati has covered how that money is tied to a UAE tunneling push and a faster Nashville build. In Nashville, Prufrock MB1 and MB2 are mining at the same time, and a third machine is expected to launch in late October. Each machine needs a steady supply of liner trucks, so any design that works for segments and containers alike gives the company more use out of the same Tesla parts.

The Vegas Loop remains the only Boring Company system open to the public, and it moves passengers in Tesla vehicles. A freight service would be a separate product, and the post gave no indication that one is close to launch. For now, it is a truck, a container and a short caption saying they fit together.

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