In December 2024, several exciting space missions are scheduled to launch. SpaceX will send a radio satellite into orbit for SiriusXM, while Arianespace launches an environmental data mission with the Sentinel-1C satellite. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is also set to conduct a space docking experiment using PSLV, and Japanese company ispace will launch its second lunar exploration mission.
Five Space Missions to Watch in December 2024
Dec. 2: SpaceX launches a radio satellite for SiriusXM
A Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center after the Thanksgiving weekend, launching a radio satellite into orbit for SiriusXM. The SXM-9 satellite is the 10th digital audio radio satellite built for SiriusXM by Maxar Technologies.
Dec. 3: Arianespace helps an environmental data mission soar
Arianespace, a French launch service provider, is gearing up to launch the Sentinel-1C satellite as part of a mission for the European Commission. The satellite will provide all-weather, day and night radar imagery of Earth’s surface to aid disaster response, urban planning, and climate change research.
Dec 20: The ISRO’s space docking experiment
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is set to launch its Space Docking Experiment or SPADEX later this month from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre using PSLV launch vehicle. The mission will see two satellites separate and reunite in space, with the agency hoping this autonomous docking technology will eventually enable future missions that allow for the transfer of humans between spacecraft or the refueling of vehicles.
Japan’s ispace shoots for the moon
Japanese company ispace is expected to launch its second lunar exploration mission in December. The mission will see ispace’s Resilience lunar lander launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and will carry items including a small rover, deep space radiation probe, and an art project in the form of a miniature red house.
Blue Origin’s maiden New Glenn launch
Blue Origin’s more than 300-foot-tall Blue Glenn rocket, which will carry a prototype of the company’s Blue Ring hardware into space for testing, is expected to take off from Cape Canaveral before the end of the year.
