SpaceX is targeting Friday, Jan. 3 for its first Falcon 9 mission of 2025 as it launches the Thuraya 4 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX announced that it’s gearing up for its next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast on Friday night. In a release, company officials said the launch will send a communications satellite into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on behalf of the UAE-based company Yahsat.

Launch recap: Scroll down for updates from the launch of SES o3b mPOWER satellites, which launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 5:26 p.m. on Dec. 17 from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. Having just launched a Falcon 9 on the Space Force RRT-1 mission, SpaceX was aiming fo r another rocket launch Tuesday afternoon.

Who's up for a late-night rocket launch this week? Weather permitting, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket should be visible from the Treasure and Space Coasts.

This was the 20th flight and recovery for this Falcon 9 first stage booster, and SpaceX's 341st recovery of an orbital-class rocket.

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket Friday night, carrying the Thuraya 4 satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.