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SpaceX’s latest Falcon Heavy launch captured from a rare perspective
NASA cameras installed on the International Space Station happened to be in the right place and at the right time to capture SpaceX’s latest Falcon Heavy launch from orbit.
Thanks to its timing, January 15th launch was already one of SpaceX’s most spectacular yet. A twilight liftoff emphasized and lit up the rocket’s miles-long exhaust plume against a darkening sky, producing a show that – while familiar – was still exceptional. Somehow, the timing of Falcon Heavy’s USSF-67 launch also allowed the ISS to see the show hundreds of miles above Earth’s surface and away from the launch pad.
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
It’s not the first time a rocket launch has produced a show for the astronauts (or, at least, cameras) who live aboard the ISS. But it is the first time the rare launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket was spotted from orbit. Similar in concept to the contrails produced by aircraft at high altitudes, Falcon Heavy produced a giant exhaust plume as it climbed out of Earth’s atmosphere, and that exhaust – containing a small amount of water vapor – created artificial clouds.
Those contrails are especially noticeable at the limits of Earth’s atmosphere, around 50 miles (80 km) up, where they can they can catch sunlight hours before or after the sun sets or rises at the surface. Falcon Heavy’s artificial noctilucent clouds lasted for several minutes, allowing cameras on the NASA side of the space station to take photos of the clouds as it flew over the Atlantic Ocean far downrange. Physically, Falcon Heavy was catching up to the ISS as it flew east and both were traveling with Earth’s rotation, slightly extending the rare window of opportunity. Had Falcon Heavy launched just a few minutes later, the ISS would have likely been out of view.
The station’s photos of the launch were taken about seven minutes after Falcon Heavy lifted off, shortly before the upper stage reached low Earth orbit (LEO) and the rocket’s twin side boosters touched down back in Florida. By then, the rocket’s sacrificial center booster was freefalling towards the ocean and likely moments away from being destroyed by atmospheric reentry.
Falcon Heavy’s upper stage would operate for another six or so hours in orbit before deploying two US military spacecraft – carrying several satellites and payloads – into a geosynchronous orbit (GSO) around 35,250 kilometers (~21,900 mi), some 21,650 miles higher than the ISS orbits. The extremely challenging mission was ultimately a complete success and was SpaceX’s second such Falcon Heavy launch for the US military in less than three months.
Falcon Heavy has already won multiple NASA launch contracts since its successful February 2018 launch debut, including the basis of the agency’s Gateway lunar space station, the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter, and the Psyche mission to an asteroid made of metal. Originally scheduled to launch in the second half of 2022, Psyche will be Falcon Heavy’s first dedicated launch for NASA and could lift off as early as October 2023.
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Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
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Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
Tesla plans to supply over 100 Megapack units to support a large stationary storage project in Japan, making it one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities.
Tesla’s Megapack grid-scale batteries have been selected to back an energy storage project in Japan, coming as the latest of the company’s continued deployment of the hardware.
As detailed in a report from Nikkei this week, Tesla plans to supply 142 Megapack units to support a 548 MWh storage project in Japan, set to become one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities. The project is being overseen by financial firm Orix, and it will be located at a facility Maibara in central Japan’s Shiga prefecture, and it aims to come online in early 2027.
The deal is just the latest of several Megapack deployments over the past few years, as the company continues to ramp production of the units. Tesla currently produces the Megapack at a facility in Lathrop, California, though the company also recently completed construction on its second so-called “Megafactory” in Shanghai China and is expected to begin production in the coming weeks.
READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla Megapacks help power battery supplier Panasonic’s Kyoto test site
Tesla’s production of the Megapack has been ramping up at the Lathrop facility since initially opening in 2022, and both this site and the Shanghai Megafactory are aiming to eventually reach a volume production of 10,000 Megapack units per year. The company surpassed its 10,000th Megapack unit produced at Lathrop in November.
During Tesla’s Q4 earnings call last week, CEO Elon Musk also said that the company is looking to construct a third Megafactory, though he did not disclose where.
Last year, Tesla Energy also had record deployments of its Megapack and Powerwall home batteries with a total of 31.4 GWh of energy products deployed for a 114-percent increase from 2023.
Other recently deployed or announced Megapack projects include a massive 600 MW/1,600 MWh facility in Melbourne, a 75 MW/300 MWh energy storage site in Belgium, and a 228 MW/912 MWh storage project in Chile, along with many others still.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla highlights the Megapack site replacing Hawaii’s last coal plant
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Elon Musk responds to Ontario canceling $100M Starlink deal amid tariff drama
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, opens new tab on February 3 that he was “ripping up” his province’s CA$100 million agreement with Starlink in response to the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian goods.
Elon Musk company SpaceX is set to lose a $100 million deal with the Canadian province of Ontario following a response to the Trump administration’s decision to apply 25 percent tariffs to the country.
Starlink, a satellite-based internet service launched by the Musk entity SpaceX, will lose a $100 million deal it had with Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced today.
Starting today and until U.S. tariffs are removed, Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts.
Every year, the Ontario government and its agencies spend $30 billion on procurement, alongside our $200 billion plan to build Ontario. U.S.-based businesses will…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 3, 2025
Ford said on X today that Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts:
“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy. Canada didn’t start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe we’re ready to win it.”
It is a blow to the citizens of the province more than anything, as the Starlink internet constellation has provided people in rural areas across the globe stable and reliable access for several years.
Musk responded in simple terms, stating, “Oh well.”
Oh well https://t.co/1jpMu55T6s
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
It seems Musk is less than enthused about the fact that Starlink is being eliminated from the province, but it does not seem like all that big of a blow either.
As previously mentioned, this impacts citizens more than Starlink itself, which has established itself as a main player in reliable internet access. Starlink has signed several contracts with various airlines and maritime companies.
It is also expanding to new territories across the globe on an almost daily basis.
With Mexico already working to avoid the tariff situation with the United States, it will be interesting to see if Canada does the same.
The two have shared a pleasant relationship, but President Trump is putting his foot down in terms of what comes across the border, which could impact Americans in the short term.
Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
