SpaceX
SpaceX kicks off 2025 with Space42 Thuraya 4 mission
SpaceX has kicked off 2025 by launching a new Falcon 9 rocket mission featuring the Space42 Thuraya 4 satellite. The launch was carried from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The liftoff had a four-hour launch window and the company capitalized at the earliest due to good weather.
Thuraya 4 is a mobile telecommunication satellite system that will expand connectivity across Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It can be used for IoT devices, smartphones, and transportable data terminals to provide voice, text, data, streaming, and short message services.
It is based on the electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform which has improved reliability and efficiency. The satellite has a large 12-meter L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing to improve advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams.
It brings data rates above 1 Mbps, flexible support surge to hotspot areas, 3x increase in payload capacity than traditional MSS satellites and supports multiple technologies.
Thuraya 4 will also enable Yahsat, the company behind Thuraya 4 based in Abu Dhabi, to expand coverage and improve development for next-gen satellites.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/2kzkewm1Ea
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 4, 2025
Mission details
The latest SpaceX Thuraya 4 mission marks the 20th flight for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster. After hot-staging, the booster performed a boostback burn and returned to Earth to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The booster exhausted the final burn and expanded its landing legs to complete the final phase. The first stage previously supported SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, GSAT-20, and 13 Starlink missions.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/DeNJcdfH6t
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 4, 2025
In about 35 minutes in mission time, the second stage deployed the Thuraya 4 mission, wrapping up the first flight for 2025.
Deployment of Thuraya 4 confirmed pic.twitter.com/u8Svi3B9yt
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 4, 2025
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