SpaceX began its countdown to the New Year with the launch of the first of three rockets scheduled to end in 2024.
On Saturday, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 of the company’s satellites took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission was launched at 8:48 pm from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), reported space.com.
As planned, about 65 minutes later, the satellites were on their way to being deployed into low Earth orbit.
With two still scheduled for next, it was SpaceX’s 132nd Falcon launch this year.
The two launches include a commercial communications satellite mission and another batch of Starlink satellites.
“We are now aiming for 134 launches, two less than our last goal, to finish 2024 strong,” wrote Kiko Dontchev, vice president of launch at SpaceX.
The vice president added: “Here’s to an incredible last few days in 2024 and an even better 2025!”
About eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage of Saturday’s Falcon 9 returned safely to Earth, landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” unmanned ship in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the company’s mission description, it was the 16th landing for this particular booster. Additionally, twelve of its 16 flights to date have been Starlink missions.
With only one failure due to a liquid oxygen leak in the upper stage, it was SpaceX’s 88th launch this year of Starlink broadband internet satellites.
“Ultimately, there is only one number that really matters. ZERO failures. Our priority is, and will continue to be, safety and reliability above all else,” Dontchev wrote.
According to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, the Starlink megaconstellation, the largest ever built, currently consists of nearly 6,700 active spacecraft.
