Whereas SpaceX’s Starship megarocket tends to get all the attention nowadays, the spaceflight firm’s trusty Falcon 9 rocket quietly continued its work all through 2024, performing a file 135 launches over the 12-month interval, beating its 2023 file by 38.
Most Falcon 9 launches raise off from Florida’s House Coast, however a rising variety of them additionally get underway from the Vandenberg House Drive Base in California.
It was certainly one of these West Coast launches that gained widespread consideration final yr for the putting scene captured by a digicam because the Falcon 9 rocket roared skyward.
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Launching a shade after 8:15 p.m. PT on a June night, the rocket might be seen rising above an enormous blanket of cloud towards a dramatic orange backdrop.
SpaceX boss Elon Musk shared a video of the gorgeous launch, noting that the footage had not been modified, although it does seem to have been slowed down.
Unmodified video https://t.co/vrIwDt2O5r
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2024
The Falcon 9 was embarking on the NROL-186 mission to deploy next-generation spy satellites for the Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace (NRO).
When the Falcon 9 left the launchpad, there was low cloud cowl within the space and it was starting to get darkish because the solar hung low over the Pacific Ocean. The launch web site regarded somewhat grey, in reality, and gave no indication of the breathtaking scene that would seem above the clouds simply seconds later.
A YouTube video exhibiting the early levels of the Falcon 9’s flight reveals that the attractive orange glow solely lasted for about eight seconds earlier than quickly fading away because the rocket gained altitude.
With 2025 set to be a good busier yr for SpaceX, there’s an opportunity that rocket followers may be handled to a couple extra launches just like the spectacular one which gained a lot consideration again in June.