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SpaceX resumes launches after Thanksgiving break

B1062 launches 23 Starlink satellites from Florida (Credit SpaceX)

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After a seemingly rare five-day break for Thanksgiving, SpaceX jumped right back into it with a launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Launching at 11:20 pm ET (04:20 UTC), the Falcon 9 launched to the Southeast and inserted into a 43-degree orbital inclination. This is Group 6-30, and over the next couple of months, the satellites will undergo checkouts and raise their orbits as they become fully operational.

The 23 Starlink satellites were deployed just over an hour after launch. These 23 satellites are the V2 mini variant that uses argon Hall thrusters for better maneuvering in orbit and the ability to handle four times more bandwidth than the previous V1.5 Starlink.

Previously SpaceX was only launching 22 at a time from Florida, but recently they have been able to add one more as they fine-tune the performance of the Falcon 9. The V2 mini Starlink variant weighs in at 800 kg ( 1,800 lbs), whereas the V1.5 satellites weigh just ~306 kg (675 lbs).

This was the 87th orbital mission and the 83rd of the year for the Falcon 9. SpaceX could still hit 100 launches this year as long as no unexpected delays occur, but it will be very close.

This was the 17th flight for this Falcon 9, Booster 1062, which had previously launched 9 Starlink missions, 8 astronauts on the Inspiration 4 and Axiom 1 missions, 2 communications satellites, 2 GPS III satellites, and the OneWeb internet satellite constellation that carried 40 satellites to orbit.

B1062 successfully landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions just over eight and half minutes after liftoff, and fairing recovery vessel Bob will attempt to retrieve the fairing halves a bit further downrange before returning to Port Canaveral and eventual refurbishment.

Next up for SpaceX will be a Falcon 9 launch from California no earlier than December 1st with a reconnaissance satellite for South Korea. This launch will feature a return to the landing site following its mid-morning launch.

Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.

Launch journalist, specializing in launch photography. Based on the Space Coast, a short drive from Cape Canaveral and the SpaceX launch pads.

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Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025

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Photo: Unplugged Performance

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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.

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Credit: Tesla

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.

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NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

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.”

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.

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