SpaceX is launching 4 ‘MicroGEO’ satellites into orbit tonight

On December 23, 2024By Littum

SpaceX’s plans to launch four small communications satellites into high Earth orbit were interrupted when the countdown reached T-0 seconds on Saturday (Dec. 21).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying four “MicroGEO” satellites built by San Francisco firm Astranis was scheduled to lift off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at midnight EST (0500 GMT). An unspecified problem forced an abort just as the Falcon’s Merlin engines ignited.

“Standing down from tonight’s Falcon 9 launch,” SpaceX stated in an update posted on X social media.

The firm initially said it was targeting Sunday morning for the next launch option, but after further inspection of the Falcon 9 and review of the scrub data, it abandoned that attempt. A new target launch date has not yet been announced.

“Scrubs happen!” wrote Christian Keil, Astranis’ vice president, on X. “We’ve seen worse and will try again soon.”

a black and white rocket ignites its engines on the launch pad at night, just as an abort is called. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignites each of its engines just as an abort is called at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, December 20, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

One Astranis satellite has reached orbit to date, which explains the name that had been given to this launch – “Astranis: From One to Many.”

Related: SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk’s private space company

Two of the four satellites set to go up Saturday will be used by Colorado-based company Anuvu to provide in-flight connectivity for travelers. Another will send service to customers in the Philippines, and the fourth, called UtilitySat, is expected to serve a number of customers throughout its life, according to Astranis.

“This is a huge milestone for Astranis. We’re going from one to many satellites, and it’s the first time anyone has ever launched four satellites together like this,” Astranis CEO John Gedmark said in a statement emailed before the launch attempt.

“These are our most advanced satellites to date, with a number of improvements that will generate increased capacity and affordability,” he added. “We couldn’t be more excited to deliver to our customers and provide dedicated broadband networks in a way they can’t get anywhere else.”

The four Astranians

The four Astranis “MicroGEO” satellites planned to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Image credit: Astranis)

The Falcon 9’s top stage was to place the four Astranis satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit about 35 minutes after launch.

The quartet would then find their way to geosynchronous orbit, a circular path 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. At this altitude, the orbital speed matches the planet’s rotational speed, allowing spacecraft to “hover” over the same part of the Earth continuously.

The Falcon 9’s first stage, meanwhile, was to come back to Earth for a touchdown on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” about 8.5 minutes after launch. It would have been the 17th flight for this particular booster, according to one SpaceX mission description.