SpaceX just completed its 100th launch of 2024 with the Starlink 10-10 launch.
The company kicked off its 100th launch campaign of the year at 2:10 a.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, where liftoff occurred from Space Launch Complex 40.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster was tail number B1080, which had ten previous flights, including a mission that took astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), and two Cargo Dragon missions to the ISS, among a few other launches.
Falcon 9 delivers 23 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida pic.twitter.com/MH3yNH6e0e
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2024
SpaceX put 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit with the launch. About eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage touched down on the ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ droneship.
This was the 81st booster landing on that droneship and the 353rd booster landing for SpaceX, Spaceflight Now reported.
Falcon 9’s first stage lands on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, completing this booster’s 11th flight pic.twitter.com/VOcjwnUoXs
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2024
It was not the only launch that took place during the early morning hours of October 15, either. The company also had another Starlink launch take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with group 9-7 taking flight. This put 20 additional satellites into low Earth orbit.
Falcon 9 delivers 20 @Starlink satellites to orbit from California pic.twitter.com/91j3Vqu1Ge
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2024
In 2023, SpaceX launched 96 times, accounting for 43 percent of all launches across the world, NASASpaceFlight data showed.
91 Falcon 9 and five Falcon Heavy rockets made up the 96 launches, with the previous record being 64 launches in one year.
It has been a busy few days for SpaceX, who also completed a monumental launch on Sunday with the fifth Starship test flight taking off from Texas.
SpaceX aces fifth Starship test flight with successful Super Heavy booster catch
SpaceX completed its launch and then did the unthinkable by catching the Super Heavy booster back on Mechazilla. Starship splashed down safely in the Indian Ocean several hours later.
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