SpaceX successfully launches 4 Astranis satellites in second attempt – VIDEO

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) to begin the Astranis: From One to Many mission on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. Photo: Pete Carstens/MaxQ Productions for Spaceflight Now

SpaceX successfully launched a fleet of four “MicroGEO” communications satellites into orbit on December 29, marking a triumphant second attempt after a last-second abort delayed the previous flight.

The launch took place at 12 a.m. EST (0500 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, using a Falcon 9 rocket for the mission, which was contracted by the company Astranis, News.Az reports, citing Space.com.

The midnight launch marked SpaceX’s second attempt to launch the MicroGEO satellites for Astranis after a Dec. 21 launch attempt ended in a last-second abort just as the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage engines ignited. In a post on the social media site X, Astranis vice president Christian Keil said SpaceX …