Falcon 9 Ignites the Skies: 21 Starlink Satellites Take Off from Kennedy Space Center!

Updated Dec. 29 at 6:25 p.m. EST (2325 UTC): SpaceX postponed the launch by one day.

SpaceX is gearing up to conclude its orbital launch year in the same manner it commenced, by deploying a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell-phone capabilities.

The Starlink 12-6 mission will be executed on the company’s 132nd and concluding Falcon 9 flight of 2024. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 UTC) on Tuesday, Dec. 31. The launch was initially planned for 1:02 a.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 30, but seemed to have shifted to the end of the window due to delays in launch preparations. As of 6:25 p.m. EST on Sunday, the rocket had not exited its hangar.

Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage starting approximately one hour before liftoff.



On Dec. 28, the 45th Weather Squadron released a forecast for the mission, indicating a 60 percent likelihood of favorable weather at liftoff. Meteorologists noted cumulus and anvil clouds as potential launch constraints.

“The primary weather condition this weekend is a cold front expected to extend into the Florida peninsula on Sunday, passing the Spaceport in the early hours of Monday. In advance of the front, scattered showers and a possibility of isolated storms are anticipated,” launch weather officers stated. “Most model predictions indicate the showers will move offshore just before the window opens, with a weak secondary line expected to pass through after the window closes.

“Therefore, for the main launch attempt, concerns will center around persistent storm and anvil activity, particularly near the start of the window.”

The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, B1078 from the SpaceX fleet, is set to launch for a 16th time. Its prior missions included Crew-6, USSF-124, and 11 Starlink launches.

A little over eight minutes post-liftoff, B1078 will aim for landing on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ If successful, this will represent the 104th booster landing on JRTI and the 390th booster landing overall.

Another record-breaking year

With a successful mission, SpaceX will conclude another record-setting year for its Falcon family of rockets. It achieved nearly a 40 percent increase in launches year-over-year, finishing 2024 with 134 orbital launches compared to 96 in 2023.

Here’s a quarterly breakdown of the year:

• Q1 – 31
• Q2 – 36 (one Falcon Heavy)
• Q3 – 27
• Q4 – 40 (one Falcon Heavy)

SpaceX encountered a few disruptions throughout the year when the Falcon fleet was grounded due to in-flight anomalies. The most notable was an upper stage failure during the Starlink 9-3 mission, which took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 12 and resulted in the loss of the 20 Starlink satellites onboard.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the fleet while SpaceX carried out a mishap investigation. The company was permitted to resume launches on July 25 while the investigation remained open. Its first launch following that occurred on July 27.

The next month, a failed booster landing on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ caused another fleet grounding; however, this was cleared by the FAA within a few days.

Finally, following the successful deployment of the Crew Dragon spacecraft during the Crew-9 mission on Sept. 28, another upper stage issue arose, causing a delay in the deorbit burn. A third mishap investigation was launched, but SpaceX was authorized to proceed with the Hera mission for the European Space Agency on Oct. 7, as this mission did not necessitate a deorbit burn.

The FAA approved a return to flight for SpaceX on Oct. 11.

The company aims to further accelerate its launch cadence in 2025 while introducing new clients and more astronaut missions. SpaceX is anticipated to launch at least two commercial astronaut missions (Fram-2 and Ax-4) along with two crew rotation missions to the International Space Station for NASA and its partners (Crew-10 and Crew-11).

Additionally, there may be another private astronaut mission before the end of the year, although NASA has yet to announce this. Vast is seeking to send a commercial crew to the ISS as it strives towards establishing its own commercial space station.

Among its numerous clients in 2025, SpaceX is also set to launch three batches of Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon. The online retail powerhouse stated in a December 2023 blog entry that launches aboard Falcon 9 would commence from mid-2025.

Nonetheless, that entry also indicated intentions to start deploying its satellite fleet in “the first half of 2024,” and to “have an adequate number of satellites deployed to initiate early customer trials in the latter half of 2024.” Amazon further noted in late 2024 that its first operational batch of Project Kuiper satellites will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in the first quarter of the calendar year 2025.