CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. — For many space fans, the New Year started Wednesday night as SpaceX sent up Florida's first launch of 2024 with the Ovzon 3 mission. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Ovzon 3 launch happened at 6:04 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Jan. 3

  • Lift off was from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

  • Expect a sonic boom once the first-stage booster of the Falcon 9 comes in for a landing

  • Scroll down to learn more about the Ovzon 3 satellite

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated the company.

The 10-minute launch window opened at 6:04 p.m. ET.

If the launch did not happen, SpaceX stated the next attempt would have been Thursday with an 87-minute launch window that opens at 4:47 p.m. ET.

The 45th Weather Squadron gave a 90% chance of good liftoff conditions, with the only concern being the thick cloud layers rule.

Going into orbit

This Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, called B1076, has nine successful launches to its record, not counting this one.

After the stage separation, the first-stage booster landed on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where many heard a sonic boom.

About the mission

The small communications satellite is from the Swedish/U.S. company Ovzon. The company awarded Maxar Technologies to build the Ovzon 3 satellite in 2018. The satellite is designed to increase mobile broadband connectivity in underserved regions.

Founded in 2006, Ovzon is a company with offices in Stockholm, Sweden, Herndon, Va., and Tampa.

The Ovzon 3 will be the company’s first mobile communication satellite to be launched.

“Ovzon 3 is the first privately funded and developed Swedish geostationary satellite ever to be launched. It’s also the most powerful GEO satellite ever to be put into orbit covering 1/3 of the earth via its steerable spot beams,” the company stated in a press release.

The steerable spot beams will provide power density and good antenna receive performance as the 3,968-pound (1,800-kilogram) satellite will be in a geostationary orbit around the Earth.

This new type of communications satellite will also use a unique on-board processor that the company hopes will provide “assured connectivity”.

Learn more about the Ovzon 3 satellite

-

Facebook Twitter