SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites on 3rd leg of spaceflight tripleheader (video) – Space.com

SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites on Thursday (Feb. 15), the third mission in less than 24 hours for the company.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday at 4:34 p.m. EST (1:34 p.m. local California time, or 2134 GMT).

The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It made a vertical landing on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky

It was the second launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Its previous flight was also a Starlink mission.

The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued powering its way skyward, eventually deploying the satellites into low Earth orbit.

The Starlink launch was the final leg of a spaceflight tripleheader for SpaceX. On Wednesday evening (Feb. 14), the company launched the classified USSF-124 mission for the U.S. Space Force.

Then, at 1:05 a.m. EST (0605 GMT) on Thursday, SpaceX launched the private IM-1 moon-landing mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Continued here:

SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites on 3rd leg of spaceflight tripleheader (video) - Space.com

Four years on, long covid still confounds us. Here’s what we now know. – The Washington Post

Many people now view covid-19 as an almost routine inconvenience, much like flu, RSV and other seasonal infections. But four years after reports surfaced of a new respiratory illness, prompting a massive response among researchers, the diseases aftereffects commonly called long covid continue to confound doctors and patients alike.

We know a lot about this particular coronavirus, said Francesca Beaudoin, chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University. That does not translate into an understanding of the long-term consequences of infection.

As many as 7 percent of Americans report having suffered from a slew of lingering symptoms after enduring covid-19, including fatigue, difficulty breathing, brain fog, joint pain and ongoing loss of taste and smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is still no clearly defined cause of, or cure for the syndrome.

The costs of our lack of understanding are vast, Beaudoin and others say, creating a huge new burden on the health-care system, as people report limitations in their daily activities including being able to work.

Read the original:

Four years on, long covid still confounds us. Here's what we now know. - The Washington Post

SpaceX launches its 90th orbital mission of the year (video) – Space.com

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit early Thursday morning (Dec. 7).

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:07 a.m. EST (0507 GMT), on SpaceX's 90th orbital mission of 2023.

Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky

As to plan, the rocket's first stage came back to Earth for a vertical landing about 8.5 minutes after launch. It touched down on the SpaceX droneship "Just Read the Instructions," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.

It was the ninth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to the mission description.

The 23 Starlink satellites, meanwhile, were set to deploy from the Falcon 9's upper stage into low Earth orbit about 65 minutes after liftoff.

Starlink is SpaceX's huge and ever-growing broadband megaconstellation, which beams internet service down to people around the world. The network currently consists of more than 5,100 active satellites, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

SpaceX extends its flight-cadence record with every liftoff these days. The company's previous annual mark, 61 launches, was set last year. But we should expect even more spaceflight action next year: SpaceX representatives have said they're shooting for 144 launches in 2024.

Go here to see the original:

SpaceX launches its 90th orbital mission of the year (video) - Space.com