SPACEX LAUNCHES 21 STARLINK SATELLITES DURING FINAL ORBITAL LAUNCH OF 2024 - SpaceX ended its orbital launch year in the same way it began, by launching a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites including multiple featuring direct to cell phone capabilities. The Starlink 12-6 mission launched onboard the company’s 132nd and final Falcon 9 flight of 2024. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened at 12:39 a.m. EST (0539 UTC) on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Launch was original scheduled for 1:02 a.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 30, but appeared to slip to the end of the window because launch preparations were running behind schedule.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 1)

THE BILLIONAIRES AND TECH BARONS VYING TO BUILD A PRIVATE SPACE STATION - After three decades circling Earth, in 2031 the International Space Station (ISS) will be handed its last rites. Some time in 2030, astronauts will depart the space station for the final time, and a docked SpaceX craft will provide a shunt of rocket thrust to move the ISS into a lower orbit. As it hits the outer atmosphere, the station will begin to break up, before a final descent in which the ISS, which is approximately the size of a football field, will be ditched somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.   More
(Source: The Telegraph - Dec 31)

INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST SPACE DOCKING MISSION - India launched its first space docking mission on Monday, on an Indian-made rocket, in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve the advanced technological feat. The mission, called Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh state at 1630 GMT aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) "workhorse" PSLV rocket. After around 15 minutes, the mission director called the launch successful after the spacecraft reached an altitude of around 470 km.   More
(Source: Reuters - Dec 31)

2025 WILL BE A YEAR OF SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS FOR CLIMATE MONITORING SATELLITES - As satellite technology rapidly evolves and new uses for satellite data emerge, its promise to transform environmental management grows. Today, several key trends are shaping how satellite data is used to tackle environmental challenges. Yet, as promising as they appear, they still face significant hurdles. The road to broader adoption of satellite data to yield meaningful environmental impact is more complex than it seems, and industry insiders remain cautious about the immediate potential of these technologies.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 31)

SPACEX TO LAUNCH ITS LAST FALCON 9 ROCKET OF 2024 ON NEW YEAR'S EVE - SpaceX is preparing to launch its last mission of the year. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 21 Starlink broadband internet satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, is poised to lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday (Dec. 31). The one-hour launch window opens at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT). A live webcast of Tuesday's mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on SpaceX’s website and on the social media network X.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 31)

ASTRANIS LAUNCHES 4 MICROGEO SATELLITES ON DEDICATED FALCON 9 MISSION - Four Astranis MicroGEO satellites are on their way to orbit after a dedicated SpaceX launch early Sunday. SpaceX launched the four satellites to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 29. Astranis confirmed post-launch that it has control of all four spacecraft.   More
(Source: Via Satellite - Dec 31)

WATCH INDIA LAUNCH 2 SATELLITES ON A SPACE DOCKING TEST FLIGHT ON DEC. 30 - India will launch an ambitious space docking test flight on Monday (Dec. 30) that could set the stage for a future mission to the moon. The India Space Research Organisation will launch the two small satellites of its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) atop an Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on Monday. Liftoff is set for 11:30 a.m. EST (10 p.m. IST, 1628 GMT) from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 30)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 4 ASTRANIS SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - Following a rare pad abort on Dec. 21, SpaceX launched four satellites to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at midnight on Sunday morning. Prior to the mission moving forward, the company had to swap the first stage booster for another. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) happened at 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC) on Sunday, Dec. 29.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 30)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FINAL 2024 MISSION FROM VANDENBERG - SpaceX completed its first of three planned Falcon 9 launches before the end of year. The trio began with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Starlink 11-3 mission added another 22 V2 Mini satellites to the megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 5:58:30 p.m. PST (8:58:30 p.m. EST, 0158:30 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 29)

Previous Next