2024 A Look Back and a Glimpse Forward

In a year of many accomplishments in space, 2024 had some standout moments along the Florida Space Coast and around the world. So many stories and records were part of this history making year. As we look back to 2024, a few items come to mind that We Report Space were grateful to have witnessed and covered. The year started out wondering if SpaceX would break launch records and they did not surprise at all. By the end of the year, SpaceX had scattered all expectations with 135 launches from Florida, California and Texas with 93 of those launches were from Florida alone! With less than 24 hours left on the last day of the year, a final launch for 2024 was conducted by SpaceX which sent an additional Starlink mission to orbit.

By comparison, United Launch Alliance came in with only five launches for all of 2024 and they included: Vulcan Cert 1 and 2, the final flight of the Delta IV Heavy with an NROL mission as well as two Atlas V missions one of which was Starliner.

Other nations were busy as well in 2024 sending satellites and payloads to space. Russia, China, Japan, India and New Zealand had their share of missions in 2024 and more and more yet to launch in 2025.

Image Credit:  Michael Howard - We Report Space

Missions and stories of note in 2024 were: Maiden launch of ULA Vulcan, the Axiom 3 mission, Crew 8 to the I.S.S. as well as the Crew flight of Starliner. Polaris Dawn launched and conducted the very first private spacewalk and Crew 9 is modified to bring back the Starliner astronauts after Starliner returned to Earth empty. 

 The Europa Clipper is heading to Jupiter and the next SLS booster core arrived at K.S.C. 

 A major milestone in the advancement of rocket achievement came with the successful launch and landing of the SpaceX “Starship” from Boca Chica in Texas. Also, while so much was launching and landing here on Earth, the solar system gave us one of the most anticipated sights of the year, a total eclipse of the Sun.

Image Credit:  Graham Smith as seen in Vermont

At present, 2025 looks to get real busy real quick as SpaceX already has gotten the year started with the launch of ____ on the third day of the New Year.

Image Credit:  Michael Howard - We Report Space

Of excitement at the beginning of 2025 is the maiden launch of the Blue Origin “New Glenn” rocket from Cape Canaveral. Delays have been affecting the ever moving launch date and back in October 2024, NASA had to postpone the Escapade Mars Mission that was to have launched on New Glenn, but time constraints and rocket readiness prevented that launch from taking place. This mission is now possibly scheduled for the spring of 2025.

Image Credit:  Graham Smith - We Report Space

While the launches from the Space Coast keep getting busier and busier, post launch activities are also feeling the pressure. Port Canaveral has seen as many as three post-flown boosters have been in process at the same time and the recovery ships heading back to sea as fast as possible for the next launch and landing. Once Blue Origin begins its launch schedule, post launch activities could approach a level never seen or possibly imagined before.

Image Credit:  Michael Howard - We Report Space

The cadence for the Space Coast took place with the first of the year with the January 3rd launch of the Thuraya 4 mission for the UAE based Yahsat and was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on a previously flown booster that made a successful landing down range.

Image Credit:  Michael Seeley - We Report Space

The first week of 2025 takes off where 2024 said goodbye to the old and very busy year.

Story by: Michael Howard Images by: Michael Howard, Graham Smith and Michael Seeley for We Report Space