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SpaceX’s twice-flown Falcon 9 fleet grows by one with flawless launch, landing

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SpaceX has completed its 18th successful launch of 2018 while also expanding its fleet of twice-flown Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters from two to three rockets, foreshadowing a near future where most of the company’s rockets have long and storied flight histories, much like today’s airliners.

Up next for SpaceX is a mission directly related to that goal: the launch of SSO-A from Vandenberg Air Force Base is expected to make use of a twice-flown Falcon 9 booster, to become the first time the company has commercially launched the same rocket three times. The ultimate goal of Falcon 9 Block 5 is to enable at least 10 reflights with minimal refurbishment, and the 3rd reflight is the next major step in that direction.

https://twitter.com/_TomCross_/status/1063177544973869058

While we still do not have an official idea of the payload’s weight, Falcon 9 placed the roughly 3000-kg communications satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), where Es’hail-2 will gradually climb Earth’s gravity well to a circular orbit under the power of its own small propulsion system. Once complete, it will serve the Middle East a variety of satellite communications services, including both enterprise, consumer, and government customers.

Prior to launching Es’hail-2, Falcon 9 booster B1047 placed the massive (7000+ kg) Telstar 19V commsat into a low but serviceable GTO before landing aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY). The rocket then returned to Port Canaveral and was transported to one of SpaceX’s nearby facilities for repair, refurbishment, and inspection around the end of July. According to President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, Block 5 rockets – as of September 2018 – require just four weeks or refurbishment on average. Although July-November is not exactly four weeks, it’s possible that the process was completed months ago and the rocket has simply been waiting in the wings for the availability of its next payload.

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As it turns out, SpaceX decided to conduct the rocket’s second launch from a different launch pad, known as Pad 39A. 39A is in the process of being modified to support Crew Dragon launches, including a variety of changes to its ground support equipment, the transporter/erector (T/E), and the Fixed Service Structure (FSS), most notably signified by the installation of gleaming black and white crew access arm (CAA). While the reasoning behind the move from LC-40 to LC-39A is opaque, the likeliest explanation is that SpaceX wanted an opportunity to shake down a majority of those modifications to reduce schedule uncertainty and risk for Crew Dragon’s uncrewed launch debut, NET early January 2019.

Ultimately, as stated by a SpaceX announcer during the webcast, B1047’s successful second launch and landing aboard OCISLY paves the way for a potential third launch and landing for the rocket, perhaps just a few months away. The first triple-launch of a single Falcon 9 booster is currently penciled in for November 19th from VAFB, pending a static fire attempt either today or tomorrow.

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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Starlink makes a difference in Philippine province ravaged by typhoon

The Severe Tropical Storm battered the province, leaving communications networks in the area in shambles.

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Credit: Starlink/X

The Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is using Starlink to provide connectivity in the municipality of Masbate, which was affected by Severe Tropical Storm Opong (international name Bualoi). 

The Severe Tropical Storm battered the province, leaving communications networks in the area in shambles.

Starlink units enhance connectivity

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda visited the province to assess internet and communications infrastructure and deliver 10 additional Starlink satellite units, according to the Philippine News Agency. The is move aimed at strengthening emergency response and restore digital access to the area.

Aguda met with Masbate Governor Richard Kho during his visit and joined telecommunications representatives in inspecting provincial offices, free charging stations, and Wi-Fi connectivity sites for residents. 

According to DICT officer-in-charge Rachel Ann Grabador, three Starlink units, 10 routers, and a 2kW solar-powered station have already been deployed in the province following the typhoon. The units have been installed at key facilities such as Masbate Airport’s communications tower and the Masbate Provincial Hospital’s administrative office. 

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Game-changing technology

Thanks to its global coverage and its capability to provide high-speed internet connectivity even in remote areas, Starlink has become the best communications solution that can be deployed in the aftermath of natural disasters. Its low-cost kits, which are capable of of providing fast internet speeds, are also portable, making them easy to deploy in areas that are damaged by natural disasters.

As noted in a Space.com report, there are currently 8,475 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 8,460 are working, as of September 25, 2025. Initially, SpaceX had filed documents with International regulators to place about 4,000 Starlink satellites in Low Earth Orbit. Over time, however, the number of planned Starlink satellites has grown, with SpaceX aiming to launch as many as 42,000 Starlink satellites to fully connect the globe.

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SpaceX shares targets and tentative launch date for Starship Flight 11

As with all SpaceX tests, the estimated timeline for Starship Flight 11 remains subject to change based on conditions and readiness.

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX is targeting Monday, October 13, for the eleventh test flight of its Starship launch system. The launch window is expected to open at 6:15 p.m. CT. 

Similar to past Starship missions, a live webcast will begin about 30 minutes before launch on SpaceX’s website, X account, and X TV app. As with all SpaceX tests, the estimated timeline for Starship Flight 11 remains subject to change based on conditions and readiness.

Super Heavy booster landing test

The upcoming mission will build on the data gathered from Starship’s tenth test flight, focusing on booster performance and upper-stage capabilities. The Super Heavy booster, previously flown on Flight 8, will launch with 24 flight-proven Raptor engines, according to SpaceX in a blog post on its official website. Its primary objective is to validate a new landing burn engine configuration designed for the next generation of Super Heavy.

Instead of returning to Starbase, the Super Heavy booster will follow a trajectory toward the Gulf of America. During descent, it will ignite 13 engines before transitioning to a five-engine divert phase and then completing the landing burn with three central engines, entering a full hover while still above the ocean surface, followed by shutdown and dropping into the Gulf of America.

Starship upper-stage experiments

The Starship upper stage for Flight 11 will carry out a series of in-space demonstrations, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators that are comparable in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. These payloads will reenter and burn up during descent. A planned Raptor engine relight in orbit will also provide valuable test data.

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To evaluate the upper stage’s resilience during reentry, SpaceX engineers have intentionally removed heat shield tiles from select areas to stress-test Starship’s thermal protection system. The vehicle will attempt new maneuvers during descent, including a banking profile and subsonic guidance algorithms intended to simulate future return-to-launch-site missions. The upper stage will ultimately target a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX has already posted a link to the livestream for Starship Flight 11: 

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Astra CEO shades SpaceX over employee workload and Starbase

Elon Musk once stated that no one ever changed the world working just 40 hours a week.

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk once stated that no one ever changed the world working just 40 hours a week. This was something that is openly known among his companies. They have the potential to change the world, but they require a lot of hours.

SpaceX’s working environment was recently criticized by Chris Kemp, the chief executive officer of Astra. During some remarks at the Berkeley Space Symposium 2025 earlier this month, Kemp shared some sharp remarks about the Elon Musk-led private space enterprise.

SpaceX working conditions and Starbase

As noted in a report from Ars Technica, Kemp discussed a variety of topics during his talk. These included Astra’s successes and failures, as well as his thoughts on other players in the spaceflight industry. To be fair to Kemp, he practically shaded every major rival, calling Firefly’s engine “garbage,” dubbing Blue Origin as slow, and stating that Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is “too small.”

SpaceX also received some colorful words from the Astra CEO. According to Kemp, SpaceX is leading the way in the spaceflight industry and Elon Musk is admirable in the way that he is willing to fail in order to move quickly. He did, however, highlight that Astra offers a significantly better working environment than SpaceX.

“It’s more fun than SpaceX, because we’re not on the border of Mexico where they’ll chop your head off if you accidentally take a left turn. And you don’t have to live in a trailer. And we don’t make you work six and a half days a week, 12 hours a day. It’s appreciated if you do, but not required,” Kemp said.

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Elon Musk’s demands

It is known that Elon Musk demands quite a lot from his employees. However, it is also known that Musk-led companies move very fast and, in more ways than one, they have accomplished world-changing feats. Tesla, for example, has practically ushered in the era of the modern electric vehicle, and SpaceX has made space attainable through its reusable rockets. With this in mind, employees at Musk’s companies, and this of course includes SpaceX, are likely proud of their long work hours. 

No one could probably go to Mars in this lifetime with a team that really works just 40 hours a week, after all.

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