SpaceX completes two launches tonight from opposite coasts
SpaceX tonight successfully completed two launches. First it placed 20 Starlink satellites into orbit (including 13 configured for direct-to-cell capabilities), its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California. The first stage completed its sixteenth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.
Next SpaceX successfully launched four satellites for the smallsat startup Astranis, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its seventh flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic, while the two fairing halves completed their 12th and 22nd flights.
Astranis had previously launched one demonstration satellite, proving that its smallsat design could do the work in geosynchronous orbit traditionally done by much larger and more expensive satellites. The four satellites on this launch are its first attempt to provide commercial service. If successful it places this American company in a good position to grab the market share from the older geosynchronous companies like Intelsat, SES, and Eutelsat.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
136 SpaceX
65 China
17 Russia
14 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 156 to 97, while SpaceX by itself leads the entire world, including American companies, 136 to 117.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
SpaceX tonight successfully completed two launches. First it placed 20 Starlink satellites into orbit (including 13 configured for direct-to-cell capabilities), its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California. The first stage completed its sixteenth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.
Next SpaceX successfully launched four satellites for the smallsat startup Astranis, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its seventh flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic, while the two fairing halves completed their 12th and 22nd flights.
Astranis had previously launched one demonstration satellite, proving that its smallsat design could do the work in geosynchronous orbit traditionally done by much larger and more expensive satellites. The four satellites on this launch are its first attempt to provide commercial service. If successful it places this American company in a good position to grab the market share from the older geosynchronous companies like Intelsat, SES, and Eutelsat.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
136 SpaceX
65 China
17 Russia
14 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 156 to 97, while SpaceX by itself leads the entire world, including American companies, 136 to 117.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
One more launch left on the schedule in 2024, so hitting 137 out of 140-144 target seems to be basically complete.
That was an amazing year. But they seem to be ASDS limited, will the purported 4th ASDS show up in 2025?
Will they sacrifice payload mass on Starlink missions so they can RTLS and launch more rapidly?
2025 is going to be fun!
Geoff,
I think the new ASDS is supposed to be ready sometime in the first half of 2025.
They are supposed to bring SLC-6 at Vandenberg online for Falcon 9 launches by this summer, last I heard (Falcon Heavy won’t be possible until 2026).
If these new capabilities arrive on time, then Elon’s goal of 180 Falcon launches in 2025 seems within reach.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1868890203123073078
So sorry for asking question I could have researched; where did the first stage of the Astranis launch land?
Peter Francis: On a drone ship in the Atlantic. I neglected to include that little bit of info and have now added it to the post. Thank you.
Notice that on the Estranas launch they had mics on the drone ship…
”First it placed 20 Starlink satellites into orbit (including 13 configured for direct-to-cell capabilities)…”
This appears to be incorrect. By all public information this flight carried 22 ordinary Starlink v2 minis, none of which were configured for direct-to-cell service.
”Astranis had previously launched one demonstration satellite, proving that its smallsat design could do the work in geosynchronous orbit traditionally done by much larger and more expensive satellites.”
Except the satellite failed on orbit, so it proved no such thing.
”The four satellites on this launch are its first attempt to provide commercial service.”
This is not correct either. Astranis attempted to provide commercial service with its first satellite and had a contract with a commercial customer in Alaska to do so. Since its satellite failed it was not able to fulfill that contract.
It then announced it would use one of the four satellites on this launch to fulfill that contract but then reneged on that and sold the capacity on the satellite to a different customer in Mexico instead. Now it is saying that its launch next year will contain a fifth satellite to finally fulfill the contract with its Alaskan customer. Hopefully this time Astranis follows through on that.
“Except the satellite failed on orbit, so it proved no such thing.”
Well, maybe the failure could be better characterized. Space News at the time explained it this way:
Arcturus was not a *complete* write-off. It’s that the solar array issue meant it wasn’t functional enough to provide the required broadband service to Pacific Dataport in Alaska.
So what they ended up doing was shifting it to an orbital slot for an Israeli Telco to retain its orbital reservation and use what coverage it could provide for backhaul in Asian markets. A disappointment, obviously, and a failure to execute that contract, but not entirely useless. Arcturus still has the maneuverability and fuel to be able to do dozens of relocation maneuvers over its seven-year design life, so it is also possible that they’ll find other uses for it.
We’ll have to see how the four new satellites function, and how well they close the business case, once they’ve achieved full operational status. If it *does*, then this could help lead the way to a market in GEO that more players could actually have the resources to enter.
mkent:
You are correct, but I think the common understanding will allow intent over letter.