Overview

• SpaceX's final launch of 2024 deployed 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 equipped with direct-to-cell technology, from Kennedy Space Center at 12:39 a.m. on December 31.
• The first-stage booster used in the mission completed its 16th flight and successfully landed on the droneship 'Just Read the Instructions' in the Atlantic Ocean.
• This launch marked the 93rd orbital mission from Florida's Space Coast in 2024, with SpaceX accounting for 88 of those launches, surpassing 2023's total of 72 launches.
• SpaceX's 134 orbital missions this year included 89 Starlink-specific launches, five human spaceflights, and two Falcon Heavy launches, alongside four Starship test flights from Texas.
• Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, initially targeting a 2024 debut, received FAA approval but its first launch is now anticipated in early 2025.