Update 2, December 29, 2023 – SpaceX wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the December 28th launch was the last Falcon 9 mission of this year. The next launch could happen on January 2, 2024.
Updated – SpaceX has just rescheduled the launch of its new mission for December 30, which was earlier decided for January 2, 2024. So, this December 28th mission is the second last Starlink mission of the year.
Original Story:
SpaceX on Thursday launched its last Starlink satellite launch mission of 2023 and wrapped up the rally of rocket launch schedules throughout this year.
SpaceX used the Falcon 9 reusable rocket to send 23 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The company confirmed this launch with the first targeted launch window for 11:01 p.m. ET on December 28. All of the pre-flight preps have been made and confirmed by the flight director to give it a go.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/m8bYx9Enb7
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023
This was the 12th mission for the first stage booster, which was previously used in CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18, SES-19, and seven Starlink missions.
The liftoff sequences happened as planned and the rocket sent the payload into orbit. Following the hot staging, the first stage landed back on a droneship staged in the Atlantic Ocean at around 8:25 minutes of the liftoff.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/JOT6js3z5f
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023
SpaceX wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Falcon 9’s second stage has one additional burn coming up in about 40 minutes of the flight and it will be followed by the Starlink satellites deployment in the next 11 minutes.
Falcon 9 is a reusable two-stage rocket, which is tall at 70 meters and expands at 3.7 meters. The rocket could send about 22,800 Kg of payload into the low-earth orbit.
The first stage uses 9 Merlin engines and aluminum-lithium alloy tanks filled with liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellant. During liftoff, Falcon 9 produces over 1.7 million pounds of thrust.
Update 2 – SpaceX later confirmed the Starlink satellite deployment.
SpaceX Falcon 9 liftoff