Fans looking to the see the first launch of 2024 from the Space Coast won’t have to wait very long, as Wednesday, January 3rd, SpaceX plans to launch Ovzon-3, a mobile communication satellite for Stockholm based Ovzon. Five days after that, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan is slated to make its debut, followed by the crewed Axoim-3 mission from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX also has more Starlink satellite launches planned, but no dates have yet been announced.

2023 Set New Records for the Eastern Range

There were seventy-two orbital launch attempts from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2023. Together, the two comprise the Eastern Range, though both are technically separate facilities. That was was fifteen more than the then-record of fifty-seven launches set in 2022. This year promises to have even more launches.

The vast majority of 2023 launches from the Cape were SpaceX Starlink missions, with the company lofting forty-three different groups of satellites in low-Earth orbit for their burgeoning Internet connectivity service. That’s a Starlink launch roughly every eight and a half days, and that in between the company’s other missions for commercial companies and for NASA.

2024 Will Likely Break 2023’s Record

2024 could see even more launches, with SpaceX forecasting an even faster pace of Starlink missions during the year. Officials at the company have said that they hope to perform as many as one hundred forty-four launches this year. Presumably the majority of those will be from the Space Coast, though a specific number of planned missions launching there was not named.

In addition to SpaceX, United Launch Alliance has its inaugural Vulcan launch on January 8, and if that goes well, more coming through the year. Additionally, ULA also has some Atlas V and one more Delta IV Heavy launch on its slate. Blue Origin has also stated that it plans to launch the long-awaited New Glenn rocket from the Cape sometime in 2024, which will be their first attempt at sending a payload to orbit. Finally, Artemis-2 is still on the dock for this year as well, though many expect the schedule to slip into 2025.

All in all, there will be a lot of opportunities for residents and visitors to see rockets flying from the Cape. This is surely good news for local businesses that cater to tourists, as more launches means more business to feed, fuel and house the guests who’ll line the beaches, riverbanks and viewing stands in the area.