SpaceX is set to launch a next-generation Spanish communications satellite tonight (Jan. 29) and you can watch it live online.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying SpainSat Next Generation 1 (SpainSat NG 1), a communications satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Hisdesat communications, is scheduled to lift off from Pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a two-hour window that opens at 8:34 p.m. EST (0134 GMT on Jan. 30).
SpaceX will webcast the launch live beginning about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on the company’s website and on the social media network X.
This will be the 21st and final flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission. The stage, which previously launched a commercial Japanese moon lander (HAKUTO M1) and a resupply mission to the International Space Station (CRS-27) among its other flights, will not be recovered due to the performance needs of this SpainSat NG I mission, SpaceX wrote in a mission overview.
While Spain-based Hisdesat has led the satellite’s development, ESA created its advanced communications capabilities, including antenna technology that enables faster data transmission, better security and the ability to precisely direct communication beams where needed.
“SpainSat NG represents the next generation of secure satellite communications in Europe. This launch marks a key milestone in providing more adaptable and secure communications services that will benefit governmental users across Europe and beyond,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, in a statement.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage will haul the SpainSat NG-1 satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit, where it will be deployed about 31 minutes after liftoff. The satellite will then propel itself to its final position 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth.
Wednesday night’s launch will be SpaceX’s 13th Falcon 9 flight of 2025.
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