SpaceX celebrated this year’s 100th launch from the Space Coast with some stunning photos of a Falcon 9 hurtling into orbit. Click on the post below to see the images in full.
The 100th flight took place on Monday from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Falcon 9 carried 29 Starlink internet satellites for use in low Earth orbit.
This was the ninth flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage launch vehicle, which previously launched NROL-69, CRS-32, GPS III-7, USSF-36 and now five Starlink missions.
A short time after the stage separation, the booster landed perfectly on the A lack of gravitas Drone ship waiting in the Atlantic.
It’s been an impressive year for the Falcon 9, which is on track to set a new 12-month launch record. Last year the number of launches was 132, but in 2025 there will be around 160 Falcon 9 launches.
And no, that doesn’t mean SpaceX has to do another 60 launches in the next two weeks. SpaceX is increasingly using its other launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a factor that helped set the new Falcon 9 launch record.
The vast majority of this year’s Falcon 9 launches were to deploy Starlink satellites, while others were for governments and organizations to launch their own satellites into orbit.
SpaceX was able to increase the launch frequency of its Falcon 9 thanks to a design that allows the rocket to land upright and be used for multiple missions. The company has numerous boosters that have completed many flights, with one leading the way with an impressive 32 takeoffs and landings.
SpaceX is applying what it has learned to its next-generation Starship rocket, a massive vehicle that will one day carry crew and cargo to the moon and even Mars. Engineers have already figured out how to land Starship’s Super Heavy booster back on Earth, but getting the upper stage to the moon is a whole different challenge.
