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SpaceX Launches Starlink and NROL-126 Starshield Satellites from Both Coasts, Completing 420th Mission

Nov 30, 2024, 05:19 AM

SpaceX successfully conducted two Falcon 9 launches within hours, delivering a total of 44 satellites into orbit and marking the company's 420th mission. The first launch occurred at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:00 AM ET (0500 UTC) on November 30, where a Falcon 9 rocket deployed 24 Starlink satellites (Group 6-65) into orbit. The booster, B1083, which had previously supported missions including CRS-31, Crew-8, and Polaris Dawn, completed its sixth flight and landed successfully on the droneship "Just Read The Instructions" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after, at 3:10 AM ET (12:10 AM PST / 0810 UTC), SpaceX launched the NROL-126 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, part of the National Reconnaissance Office's effort to expand its proliferated architecture, is speculated to involve SpaceX's Starshield satellites. The Falcon 9 rocket delivered 20 Starlink satellites and an unknown number of NRO Starshield satellites into a 70-degree orbit. The booster, B1088, successfully completed its first flight and landed on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. These launches contribute to SpaceX's impressive 2024 launch statistics, accounting for 87% of worldwide upmass to space (1,322 metric tons), 62% of worldwide orbital launches (94 launches), and 86% of worldwide spacecraft launched (1,702 spacecraft) as of October 1st. The recent missions underscore SpaceX's dominant position in the global space industry and its ability to conduct rapid, successive launches across different coasts.