Excerpt:

>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Israeli Earth-imaging satellite EROS C-3 into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California late Thursday night (Dec. 29), releasing the payload into orbit about 15 minutes after leaving Earth.

>Liftoff occurred at 11:38 p.m. PST at the launch site (2:38 a.m. EST/0738 GMT), with the Falcon 9's first stage returning to land at a nearby SpaceX pad about 8 minutes into the flight.

>"This is our 61st and final SpaceX launch of 2022," Jesse Anderson, SpaceX's production and engineering manager, said during a live webcast.

>The EROS C-3 launch also marked SpaceX's second launch in as many days.

>On Wednesday (Dec. 28), the company launched its first Gen2 Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida, delivering 54 of the next-generation Starlinks into orbit.

Elizabeth Howell, 29 December 2022, Space.com (Future plc)