Rocket launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 lights up Florida sky Wednesday

Brooke Edwards, USA TODAY NETWORK

Updated December 4, 2024 at 1:41 p.m.·1 min read

In the chilly hours of Wednesday morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took its record-breaking 24th flight, delivering 24 of the company's Starlink satellites to orbit.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched on time at 5:13 a.m., lighting up the morning sky as it flew on a southeast trajectory. Just over eight minutes later, the well-traveled Falcon 9 first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship, which was waiting in the Atlantic Ocean.

Was there a rocket launch this morning?

SpaceX continues to push the reusability of its first-stage boosters, previously only reaching 23 successful flights. Previous flights for this first stage include: 12 Starlink missions, CRS-22, CRS-25, Crew 3, Crew 4, TelkomSat-113BT, Turksat-5B, Koreasat-6A, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F2, Galileo L13, mPOWER-A and PSN MFS.

The launch marked the first of a potential doubleheader: a Federal Aviation Administration warning lists the launch of a satellite for radio service provider Sirius XM for Thursday between 11:10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida

First of SpaceX rocket launch doubleheader

SpaceX typically aims for the beginning of the window, but various factors − such as weather at the launch and booster landing site − play a role in determining the launch time.

Add launch photos to any room: FLORIDA TODAY's 2025 Space Launch Calendar is here

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launch: SpaceX booster lifts off in Florida on 24th mission

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Was there a rocket launch this morning?

First of SpaceX rocket launch doubleheader

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