SpaceX Races to End Record Year with Midnight Launch

SpaceX completed a midnight launch from Cape Canaveral on Sunday and is preparing for another midnight launch on Monday from Kennedy Space Center to close out a record-breaking year for the Space Coast.

The Sunday launch featured a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, carrying communication satellites for Astranis Space Technologies Corp. Originally scheduled for December 20, the mission faced a delay after the booster shut down at the final countdown. SpaceX replaced the booster for this launch, which flew for the seventh time, having previously supported missions such as Crew-8 and Polaris Dawn. The booster successfully landed on the droneship *A Shortfall of Gravitas* stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

This mission marked the 92nd launch from the Space Coast in 2024, surpassing last year’s total of 72 launches. SpaceX aims to close the year with its 93rd launch, set for midnight Monday from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39-A. The Falcon 9 will carry 21 Starlink satellites during a launch window that extends until 3:28 a.m., with backup opportunities available on December 31.

The first-stage booster for Monday’s mission will fly for the 16th time, having previously supported the Crew-6 mission among others. A recovery landing is planned on the droneship *Just Read the Instructions* in the Atlantic. Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron has forecasted a 60% chance of favorable launch conditions as a weather front moves through Florida.

The busy weekend also included a Saturday Starlink mission launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. In 2024, SpaceX has flown 134 Falcon rocket missions: 62 from Cape Canaveral, 26 from Kennedy Space Center (including two Falcon Heavy launches), and 46 from Vandenberg. Additionally, four suborbital Starship and Super Heavy test flights launched from Starbase in Texas.

On the Space Coast, five of the year’s launches came from United Launch Alliance. ULA debuted its Vulcan rocket in January and flew it again in the fall while also launching two Atlas V missions, including Boeing’s Starliner Crew Flight Test. The year saw the final launch of ULA’s Delta IV Heavy from Space Launch Complex 37.

In 2024, the Space Coast hosted five human spaceflights carrying 16 astronauts. These included SpaceX Crew Dragon missions to the International Space Station and the Polaris Dawn orbital mission, which featured the first commercial spacewalk.

Another highly anticipated rocket, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, received its FAA launch license on Friday, alongside a successful hot fire test on the pad at Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 36. Blue Origin’s NG-1 Blue Ring Pathfinder mission has a launch window late Monday, with backup opportunities on New Year’s Eve.

The final days of 2024 highlight a record year for space activity, with the Space Coast solidifying its role as a hub for innovation and exploration.