— 8 ways that SpaceX has transformed spaceflight SpaceX has now launched more than 4,000 Starlink satellites for internet service around the world, and more satellites are coming: The company has regulatory permission to send up 12,000 Starlink craft and has applied for approval to deploy nearly 30,000 satellites on top of that. Monday's Starlink launch was originally supposed to be part of a triple-header, along with the Crew-6 astronaut mission for NASA, which was scheduled to lift off early Monday morning, and another Starlink launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday afternoon. But Crew-6's planned liftoff was scrubbed due to a ground-system issue late in the countdown. The next possible Crew-6 launch opportunity is Thursday (March 2) at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT). The Vandenberg mission, which will loft 51 older-generation Starlink satellites, was delayed due to bad weather. It could launch as soon as Tuesday (Feb. 28). Editor's note: This story was updated at 2 p.m. EST on Feb. 27 to reflect SpaceX's launch time changes for its two Starlink missions and Crew-6 astronaut flight. It was updated again at 6:40 p.m. EST with news of successful launch and rocket landing, then again at 11:30 p.m. EST with news of satellite deployment. Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. See all comments (0)