SpaceX official launch records and announcements

SpaceX Launches Thuraya 4-NGS to Geostationary Orbit, Falcon 9 Booster Lands

Jan 4, 2025, 01:15 AM

SpaceX successfully launched the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on January 3, 2025, marking the company's first launch of the year. The mission lifted off at 8:27 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Thuraya 4-NGS, a next-generation communications satellite built by Airbus on its Eurostar Neo platform, features a 12-meter L-band antenna and is designed to enhance mobile connectivity across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The satellite was launched for Space42, a UAE-based company formed through the merger of Yahsat and Bayanat. The Falcon 9 booster, designated B1073, completed its 20th flight and successfully landed on the drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean. The satellite was placed into a geostationary transfer orbit. This mission highlights SpaceX's continued dominance in satellite launches and its commitment to reusable rocket technology.