A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 2 German military satellites

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying two radar reconnaissance satellites was launched for the German military on Sunday (Dec. 24).

A Falcon 9 rocket launched the Sarah-2 mission into low Earth orbit (LEO) at 8:11 a.m. EST (1311 GMT; 5:11 a.m. local California time) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The flight was originally scheduled for Saturday (Dec. 23). Pushed back a day To allow additional flight tests.

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The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket touches down at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, December 24, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX (via X))

The SARah-2 mission delivered two Synthetic Aperture Radar (“SAR” in “SARAh-2”) reconnaissance satellites to the German military.

“Satellites will continue the process of replacing the aging SAR-Lupe galaxy,” writes EverydayAstronaut.com. Job description.

“Sarah 2 and Sarah 3 are two 'reflector antenna' satellites, meaning they will be built alongside Sarah 1 to increase the resolution of the constellation.

According to SpaceX, this particular Falcon 9 will be the eighth liftoff for the first stage of the Sarah-2. The booster also returned for its eighth landing, touching down at Vandenberg eight minutes after launch.

Meanwhile, Sarah 2 and Sarah 3 deployed into LEO from the Falcon 9's upper stage 20 minutes and 25 minutes after liftoff, respectively.

Sunday's launch continues a busy 2023 for SpaceX. The company has launched 94 orbital missions so far this year, as well as two test flights of its giant Starship rocket.

And the SpaceX activity will be before the calendar changes. For example, the company's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to launch the US Space Force's X-37B space plane into orbit on December 28.