December 2024

Booster B1067 nearing the end of its 24th ascent. It would later land safely aboard ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas.’
Photo: Ed Cordero / FMN

SpaceX launched another group of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit this morning. Liftoff was at 5:13 AM EST from Space Launch Complex 40 from from Cape Canaveral.

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1067 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ to complete its record-breaking 24th mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to low Earth orbit. At about the same time the booster landed, the initial orbit for the payload was achieved, with a short orbit rounding burn just before payload deployment.

B1067 flew today 23 days after its Koreasat 6A mission on November 11, 2024. Its previous flights include the CRS-22 and CRS-25 ISS resupply missions, NASA Crew 3, Crew 4 to ISS, the TelkomSat-113BT, Turksat-5B, Koreasat-6A, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F2, Galileo L13, mPOWER-A, PSN MFS satellites and now,13 Starlink missions. After landing and mow safely aboard ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, the booster will return to Port Canaveral, where SpaceX will unload it and transport it to their Hangar X facility for inspection and hopefully preparation for its next flight, which would be its 25th.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

SpaceX will shift over to LC-39A to launch the Sirius XM-9 satellite for Liberty Media on Thursday, December 5. The satellite will enhance coverage of the companies satellite radio service.

  • Date: NET December 5, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Sirius XM 9
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Launch Window: 11:10 AM – 1:10 PM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
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Artist's rendering of Mission 2 Resilience in lunar orbit. Graphic via ispace
The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander arrives at KSC.
Photo via ispace

Japan’s latest lunar lander and rover has arrived at Kennedy Space Center, where it will enter final preparations for a launch scheduled for no earlier than January 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Officially named the Mission 2 RESILIENCE lunar lander, the spacecraft will be carrying the TENACIOUS micro rover and commercial payloads for iSpace.

“The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander is the culmination of the HAKUTO-R program, incorporating the data and know-how gained from Mission 1,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “We are pleased that the transport to the launch site in Florida, has been completed successfully. The lander is carrying not only the payload entrusted to us by our customers, but also the excitement of many stakeholders. We will continue to make final preparations until the day of the launch, when the lander, which carries so many hopes, will be launched.”


The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander being prepared for shipment at a JAXA facility prior to being sent to the US.
Photo via ispace

Mission 2 Resilience is a privately funded lunar mission, with Sumitomo Bank and other investors footing the bill. It will deliver six payloads to the lunar surface. The mission will include the first experiment to attempt electrolysis on the Moon and the Tenacious rover, which will collect regolith samples to sell to NASA. It will also drop off an art project, a figure shaped like a little red house. 

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has named “Venture Moon” by Sumitomo Mutsui Bank, official partner, (SMBC). According to ispace, “The word “venture” is emblematic of new beginnings and opportunity. With the support of SMBC, ispace, aims to develop the new cislunar economy connecting the Earth and the Moon and expanding human existence into space.”

Artist’s rendering of Mission 2 Resilience in lunar orbit.
Graphic via iSpace
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