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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sets reusability record, launches heaviest payload yet
SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1051 has become the company’s ‘fleet leader’ after acing its 12th orbital-class launch and landing – a new record for the rocket family.
After a roughly 90-minute weather delay, Falcon 9 lifted off without issue around 12:48 am EST on March 19th. Booster B1051 touched down on drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) about nine minutes later, followed by the successful deployment of 53 Starlink V1.5 satellites just over an hour after launch. Starlink 4-12 was SpaceX’s 11th successful launch in the first 11 weeks of 2022. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that Starlink 4-12 was also the heaviest payload ever launched by Falcon 9, weighing in at 16.25 metric tons or ~35,800 pounds.
It’s not entirely clear how SpaceX was able to expand Falcon 9’s performance envelope or how far the envelope was pushed. In May 2019, Musk actually claimed that the Starlink V0.9 payload would weigh “18.5 tons” and be SpaceX’s heaviest payload ever, whereas three years later he says Starlink 4-12 set a new record of 16.25 metric tons. Assuming Musk was referring to short tons in 2019 and that SpaceX’s Starlink payload adapter and the tensioning rods that hold the stack together are roughly the same weight (~3 mT) three years later, the true total mass of Starlink 4-12’s payload could be as high as 19-19.5 metric tons (~42,000 lb). Its 53 Starlink V1.5 satellites, meanwhile, would weigh about 307 kilograms (~675 lb) each.
In other words, Starlink 4-12’s record-breaking payload could be up to 2.5 metric tons – about 15% – heavier than the Starlink V0.9 payload that set SpaceX’s internal record in 2019.
SpaceX says a Falcon 9 rocket is on track to launch Starlink 4-12 – a new batch of 53 satellites – no earlier than (NET) 11:24 pm EST on Friday, March 18th (03:24 UTC 19 March).
While ‘just’ the latest in an increasingly routine line of Starlink launches, SpaceX has confirmed that the mission will also set a new record for Falcon 9 reusability. Setting minor records is practically just as common for the average SpaceX launch but this particular record is more significant: if all goes according to plan, booster B1051 will become the first Falcon 9 first stage to complete 12 orbital-class launches and landings, pushing the envelope that much further.
The second oldest Falcon 9 booster that’s still operational, B1051 debuted in a significant way on March 2nd, 2019 by supporting Demo-1, Crew Dragon’s first uncrewed test flight. The launch was a perfect success and simultaneously kicked off the prolific careers of Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 B1051, both of which continue to have an excellent track record. Since Demo-1, B1051 has also supported the launches of Canada’s RADARSAT constellation, SiriusXM’s SXM-7 radio satellite, and 469 Starlink spacecraft spread over eight separate missions.
Starlink 4-12 will be its 12th launch and is set to occur just over two weeks after the third anniversary of its launch debut, translating to an average of one launch every three months or ~93 days. As an older booster and a fleet leader for several reusability milestones, B1051’s average turnaround time between launches – ~100 days – isn’t exceptionally impressive, though the booster has still accomplished a great deal.
However, newer boosters like B1058 and B1060 – both of which have much faster average turnaround times – are tied with B1051 at eleven flights each. One of the two is almost guaranteed to supersede B1051 in the very near future and become SpaceX’s new fleet leader, meaning that either B1058 or B1060 is likely to be the first to set new reusability records after B1051’s 12th flight.
Falcon 9 B1060, for example, has flown 11 times in 611 days, averaging one launch every 55 days and 61 days per reuse. B1060’s last two turnarounds have been under 50 days. B1058 is very similar. In other words, both B1058 and B1060 could feasibly overtake B1051 as early as May or June 2022 and could both potentially complete their 15th, 16th, or even 17th launches before the end of the year.
As such, this could be Falcon 9 B1051’s last opportunity to lead SpaceX’s fleet of Falcon boosters. Tune into SpaceX’s official webcast to watch Starlink 4-11 live around 11:10 pm EST (03:10 UTC).
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
“I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny,” Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolled budget airline Ryanair on his social media platform X this week following the company’s refusal to adopt Starlink internet on its planes.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ryanair did not plan to install Starlink internet services on its planes due to its budgetary nature and short flight spans, which are commonly only an hour or so in total duration.
Initially, Musk said installing Starlink on the company’s planes would not impact cost or aerodynamics, but Ryanair responded on its X account, which is comical in nature, by stating that a propaganda it would not fall for was “Wi-Fi on planes.”
Musk responded by asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” Then followed up with the idea of buying the company and replacing the CEO with someone named Ryan:
I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026
Polymarket now states that there is an 8 percent chance that Musk will purchase Ryanair, which would cost Musk roughly $36 billion, based on recent financial data of the public company.
Although the banter has certainly crossed a line, it does not seem as if there is any true reason to believe Musk would purchase the airline. More than anything, it seems like an exercise of who will go further.
Starlink passes 9 million active customers just weeks after hitting 8 million
However, it is worth noting that if something is important enough, Musk will get involved. He bought Twitter a few years ago and then turned it into X, but that issue was much larger than simple banter with a company that does not want to utilize one of the CEO’s products.
The insufferable, special needs chimp currently running Ryan Air is an accountant. Has no idea how airplanes even fly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
In a poll posted yesterday by Musk, asking whether he should buy Ryanair and “restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.” 76.5 percent of respondents said he should, but others believe that the whole idea is just playful dialogue for now.
But it is not ideal to count Musk out, especially if things continue to move in the direction they have been.
News
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sent its latest statement earlier this month by making a big expansion to its geofence, pushing the limits up by over 50 percent and nearing Tesla’s size.
Waymo announced earlier this month that it was expanding its geofence in Austin by slightly over 50 percent, now servicing an area of 140 square miles, over the previous 90 square miles that it has been operating in since July 2025.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shades Waymo: ‘Never really had a chance’
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
These rides are fully driverless, which sets them apart from Tesla slightly. Tesla operates its Robotaxi program in Austin with a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat on local roads and in the driver’s seat for highway routes.
It has also tested fully driverless Robotaxi services internally in recent weeks, hoping to remove Safety Monitors in the near future, after hoping to do so by the end of 2025.
Tesla Robotaxi service area vs. Waymo’s new expansion in Austin, TX. pic.twitter.com/7cnaeiduKY
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) January 13, 2026
Although Waymo’s geofence has expanded considerably, it still falls short of Tesla’s by roughly 31 square miles, as the company’s expansion back in late 2025 put it up to roughly 171 square miles.
There are several differences between the two operations apart from the size of the geofence and the fact that Waymo is able to operate autonomously.
Waymo emphasizes mature, fully autonomous operations in a denser but smaller area, while Tesla focuses on more extensive coverage and fleet scaling potential, especially with the potential release of Cybercab and a recently reached milestone of 200 Robotaxis in its fleet across Austin and the Bay Area.
However, the two companies are striving to achieve the same goal, which is expanding the availability of driverless ride-sharing options across the United States, starting with large cities like Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo also operates in other cities, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among others.
Tesla is working to expand to more cities as well, and is hoping to launch in Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Dallas.
Elon Musk
Tesla automotive will be forgotten, but not in a bad way: investor
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
Entrepreneur and Angel investor Jason Calacanis believes that Tesla will one day be only a shade of how it is recognized now, as its automotive side will essentially be forgotten, but not in a bad way.
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
I subscribed to Tesla Full Self-Driving after four free months: here’s why
Eventually, and even now, the focus has been on real-world AI and Robotics, both through the Full Self-Driving and autonomy projects that Tesla has been working on, as well as the Optimus program, which is what Calacanis believes will be the big disruptor of the company’s automotive division.
On the All-In podcast, Calcanis revealed he had visited Tesla’s Optimus lab earlier this month, where he was able to review the Optimus Gen 3 prototype and watch teams of engineers chip away at developing what CEO Elon Musk has said will be the big product that will drive the company even further into the next few decades.
Calacanis said:
“Nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car. They will only remember the Optimus.”
He added that Musk “is going to make a billion of those.”
Musk has stated this point himself, too. He at one point said that he predicted that “Optimus will be the biggest product of all-time by far. Nothing will even be close. I think it’ll be 10 times bigger than the next biggest product ever made.”
He has also indicated that he believes 80 percent of Tesla’s value will be Optimus.
Optimus aims to totally revolutionize the way people live, and Musk has said that working will be optional due to its presence. Tesla’s hopes for Optimus truly show a crystal clear image of the future and what could be possible with humanoid robots and AI.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
