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SpaceX Launches Thuraya 4-NGS Satellite for Space42 in First Mission of 2025

Jan 3, 2025, 09:27 PM

SpaceX successfully launched the Thuraya 4-NGS communication satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit on January 3, 2025, marking the company's first mission of the year. The launch took place at 8:27 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster, on its 20th flight, landed on the drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean following stage separation. The Thuraya 4-NGS satellite, built by Airbus on the Eurostar Neo platform, is designed to extend service coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East for Space42, a company formed through the merger of Yahsat and Bayanat.