Following an exceptionally busy December, this week started the new year with only four scheduled missions, with the possibility of two flights of heavy launch vehicles within the first ten days of January. On the same day as Starship’s seventh flight, Blue Origin’s New Glenn is expected to take its maiden voyage from Florida. This highly anticipated debut launch will also include an attempt to propulsively land the first stage booster on a sea platform.
The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) SPADEX mission closed 2024 with a record 259 orbital missions, placing 25 crew and over 2,700 payloads into orbit and across the solar system. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 carried over 2,300 payloads (85%), including over 1,900 Starlink satellites.