SpaceX's First Launch In 2025 To Be For UAE-Based Space Tech Company

Elon Musk’s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX is eyeing launching into space for the first time in 2025 on Friday for UAE-based Space42.

What Happened: SpaceX is now targeting Friday for Falcon 9’s launch of AI-powered space tech company Space42’s Thuraya 4 mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If not on Friday, the company is aiming to launch the mission on Saturday.

Space42's Thuraya 4 telecommunications satellite was built by Airbus and is fully electric. The satellite is aimed at delivering increased coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

The mission will mark SpaceX’s first mission in 2025. The company last launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on the last day of 2024 with 21 Starlink satellites.

Why It Matters: In 2024, SpaceX completed 134 launches, not including four Starship test flights. A majority of them were Starlink missions launched by the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

The company is yet to unveil the number of launches it is targeting in 2025.

However, the company said earlier this week that it is “soon” looking to launch its third generation of Starlink satellites on its Starship launch vehicle. However, the Starship is still in the testing and development phase and has yet to carry any major payload to space.

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Photo courtesy: Spacex