Skip to main content

SpaceX sets record with the 10th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket

For the first time, SpaceX has sent a Falcon 9 rocket booster on its 10th flight, marking an important milestone in rocket reusability. The company launched the rocket early this morning with a first stage booster that has previously flown on the historic first demonstration mission of the Crew Dragon capsule, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, the SXM-7 launch, and six previous Starlink missions.

The launch went ahead at 2:42 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The rocket was carrying a further batch of 60 Starlink satellites to be added to the SpaceX constellation. The aim is for a network of Starlink satellites to eventually provide global broadband internet access, with certain users in particular countries currently able to use a beta version of the network.

Recommended Videos

SpaceX tweeted out a video of the booster in action:

Watch the first tenth flight of an orbital class rocket booster → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK https://t.co/MDM6RNlN4J

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 9, 2021

The milestone of 10 flights from one booster is significant as it has been SpaceX’s long-standing goal for booster reuse. By reusing first stages, SpaceX plans to make its rocket launches more affordable. While early in its attempts to create a reusable rocket, the company struggled with catching the first stage as it came back to Earth — many boosters end up falling off ships or dropping into the ocean — the company now reliably catches the large majority of its boosters. When a booster comes back to Earth, typically in the Atlantic Ocean, it is caught by a drone ship that is stationed in the area.

The booster from today’s launch was caught by the droneship Just Read The Instructions, and it could potentially go on to be used even more times. In addition, other parts of the rocket from today’s launch were also reused, like both halves of its fairing which were previous used for the GPS III Space Vehicle 04 mission.

According to NASA Space Flight, SpaceX has become so adept at catching and reusing first stages that it rarely needs to use new boosters any more. Although the company does still manufacture first stages, it mostly reuses existing boosters, and has not needed to use a new booster yet this year.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just set a new record
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching in April 2025.

Following a mission early on Monday, the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket entered the record books by becoming the first one to launch and land 27 times.

The Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at midnight on Monday, April 14, in a mission that successfully deployed 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.

Read more
Trippy time-lapse shows Starlink satellites streak light across space
Starlink satellites as seen from the space station.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit has shared a new time-lapse video showing some of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites streaking across space.

Other lines of light appearing in the 18-second clip captured from the International Space Station (ISS) include city lights on Earth 250 miles below, and those of distant stars.

Read more
SpaceX is about to try something new with its mighty Starship rocket
The Starship launching from Starbase in October 2024.

SpaceX has just test fired a Super Heavy booster ahead of the Starship’s ninth flight test.

The ground-based firing of the world's most powerful rocket took place at SpaceX’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday.

Read more