SpaceX successfully launches Starship while Trump, Musk gaze on
SpaceX was hoping to repeat the catching maneuver via mechanical arms that it successfully completed in October.
The final Falcon 9 launch of Starlink low-orbiting satellites from California this year is scheduled for liftoff this on Saturday, according to SpaceX.
The launch window for 22 internet communication system satellites is between 5:48 p.m. and 9:31 p.m. PST. on Saturday, Dec. 28, from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
If needed, additional launch opportunities are available beginning at 5:12 p.m. PST on Sunday, Dec. 29.
With the launch just after sunset, there’s a better chance to look skyward and view the “twilight phenomena,” which resemble clouds of gas called nebulae deep in space.
As chemicals from the rocket’s exhaust freeze and drift like clouds through the atmosphere, the sun’s rays also shine through them. The light is then refracted through the frozen chemicals at different wavelengths, creating spectacular displays of color.
Where can you see the Space X launch?
Launches from Vandenberg, outside Lompoc, and the spiraling exhaust trails they leave behind are often visible across Southern California. Loud booms from Falcon 9’s reusable first stage can rattle local windows as the stage angles for a landing on an autonomous barge off the California coast.
Residents in Ventura County, the High Desert, and Coachella Valley should look to the west to view the launch and the colorful display.
A live webcast of the SpaceX mission will begin about five minutes before liftoff, which can be viewed on X @SpaceX or spacex.com.
The launch is the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SARah-2, Transporter-11, SDA-0A, and 12 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
Busy launch year for Space X
On Dec. 24, Digital Trends reported that SpaceX had its busiest year yet for rocket launches, with the spaceflight company led by Elon Musk conducting 129 Falcon 9 launches, two Falcon Heavy launches, and three Starship launches.
The Falcon rocket flights primarily involved deployments of satellites for Starlink, SpaceX’s internet-from-space service. But there were also more than 20 launches for a range of commercial customers, up from 12 in 2023.
Launches involving government contracts, meanwhile, ticked up to around 18 for the year, Digital Trends reported.
SpaceX’s 2025 campaign
SpaceX officials believe 2025 will be even busier, aiming to serve more customers than ever.
SpaceX is also aiming to ramp up testing of its mighty Starship rocket, with as many as 25 launches planned to take place next year, according to Digital Trends.
To date, the rocket has only flown six times, with the first one launching in April 2023. SpaceX already has permission for the Starship’s seventh test flight, which some reports suggest could take place in early January.
The Starship rocket is reported to create a record 17 million pounds of thrust as it leaves the ground.
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars.
SpaceX operates from many pads, including Florida-based SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Additionally, from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is at Boca Chica, Texas.