SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 for the first time in 2010. Since then, the two-stage rocket has become the company’s workhorse vehicle, sending satellites to low-Earth orbit, crew and cargo to the International Space Station, and private crewed missions to orbit.
Notably, the spaceflight company has been ramping up the frequency of its launches with every passing year, with its reusable Falcon 9 blasting off from the Space Coast in Florida as well as Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
On Monday, SpaceX announced it had already reached 100 missions for the year, achieving the milestone earlier than ever before.
Last year, for example, it took until October for the Elon Musk-led company to reach 100 Falcon missions, while in 2023 it didn’t even reach a century, topping out at 96. The year before that, in 2022, SpaceX completed a mere 61 Falcon missions.
Wednesday’s milestone liftoff launched 24 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was the ninth flight for this particular first-stage booster, which previously launched NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and now five Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster returned and landed on a droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The booster will now be refurbished in readiness for its 10th flight.
SpaceX’s ability to launch the Falcon on 100 missions in the space of just eight months highlights the company’s impressive operational capabilities, which has allowed it to launch rockets more frequently than any other provider in history.
It also demonstrates the company’s success at nailing its reusable technology, which involves landing the first-stage booster back at the launch site or on a drone ship at sea, thereby reducing launch costs and turnaround times.
SpaceX is aiming to do the same for its next-generation Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever to fly. To date, SpaceX has launched the massive Starship rocket nine times since its inaugural flight in 2023, but the company has plans to ramp that up to 25 per year before aiming for even more launches. The rocket is set to be used for crew and cargo missions to the moon, and could even carry the first humans to Mars.
The Starship could launch again as soon as Sunday, August 24. Here’s how to watch a livestream of the event.
