Musk's SpaceX kicks off 2024 by sending first Starlink direct-to-cell satellites into space

By James Rogers

SpaceX describes Starlink direct-to-cell satellites as "a cell phone tower in space"

Elon Musk's SpaceX made its first launch of 2024 late Tuesday, sending its first Starlink direct-to-cell satellites into orbit.

The private space company launched 21 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Six of the satellites provide direct-to-cell services, designed to provide seamless access to text, voice, and data for LTE phones across the globe. SpaceX describes Starlink direct-to-cell satellites as "a cell phone tower in space" designed to eliminate dead zones.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, SpaceX wrote that T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS), Rogers Communications Inc. (CA:RCI.A) (CA:RCI.B), Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp. (JP:9433), Australian telecommunications company Optus, One New Zealand Group Ltd., Switzerland's Salt Mobile SA , and Chile's Empresa Nacional de Telecommunicaciones S.A. (CL:ENTEL) are the first providers using direct-to-cell for global access.

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The launch was the first of a busy year for SpaceX, which capped 2023 with the launch of 23 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Dec. 29. The mission was the company's 96th Falcon launch of the year, according to SpaceX.

Just a few hours earlier, SpaceX launched the USSF-52 military space plane mission atop a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX also marked a milestone for its reusable rocket technology in the early hours of Dec. 23 when the company launched 23 Starlink satellites into low earth orbit from Cape Canaveral. Shortly after launch, the rocket's first-stage booster landed on a droneship floating in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the 19th launch and landing of the booster, a first for the company.

Related: Musk's SpaceX hits rocket milestone in latest Starlink Falcon 9 launch

The first-stage booster had previously been used in 13 Starlink launches, as well as in the Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and Transporter-3 missions, according to SpaceX.

This year is set to be an even busier one for SpaceX, which plans to make 12 launches a month in 2024.

-James Rogers

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01-03-24 1030ET

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