SpaceX has one final launch scheduled from Southern California before Christmas. A Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch Tuesday, Dec. 16 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission will deploy 27 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Space telescopes have always been defined as much by their rockets as by their mirrors. When every kilogram to orbit costs a fortune, engineers are forced into intricate origami, exotic materials, and decade-long development cycles.

Using debris modeling and simulations, the U.S. Space Force, the branch of the military that deals with the nation’s space interests, helped the FAA draw the contours of theoretical “debris response areas” — no-fly zones that could be activated if Starship exploded.