SpaceX successfully launched its inaugural Falcon 9 rocket of 2025 tonight, marking what is anticipated to be another eventful year for the organization.
A Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX lifted off on Friday (Jan. 3) at 8:27 p.m. EST (0127 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located in Florida, sending the Thuraya 4 spacecraft to a geosynchronous orbit.
Thuraya 4 is managed by Space42, a firm specializing in satellite and space services based in the United Arab Emirates. This satellite is set to deliver mobile communication services across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for both commercial and governmental clients.
Eight minutes and 40 seconds after liftoff, the Falcon 9 booster made its way back to Earth, successfully landing on SpaceX’s droneship, “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” positioned offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.
This marked the 20th flight and recovery for this specific Falcon 9 first-stage booster, as well as SpaceX’s 341st recovery of an orbital-class rocket, which includes both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters.
The first-stage booster responsible for today’s mission also launched the unfortunate ispace Haukto-R lunar lander, an ISS resupply mission, along with 13 batches of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
About 35 minutes and 30 seconds into the journey, the Thuraya 4 satellite detached from the rocket’s second stage and entered geostationary transfer orbit, where it will subsequently begin maneuvering to reach a geosynchronous position above a designated spot on Earth.
The Thuraya 4 mission signifies SpaceX’s 418th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket and the organization’s 435th mission overall. The company conducted over 130 orbital missions in 2024, and the total for this year is expected to surpass that.
The satellite on today’s mission is officially named the Thuraya 4-NGS (Next Generation System) and was manufactured by Airbus. The technologies integrated within the satellite aim to “introduce innovative AI-enabled services,” as stated by Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services, one of the two companies comprising Space42, mentioned in a statement.