This evening, SpaceX conducted the Starlink 6-92 mission at 5:26PM ET, which set two new records. Now one of them is almost a formality: it was the latest launch record on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and every launch from CCSFS since the start of November has been a new record.
The more interesting record is that Booster 1067 flew for a new record: flight 32. From our detached observing position (sitting here in front of the computer) it's hard to tell how smoothly the flight went but the landing looked to be inside the 10-ring. The last flight of B1067 was just short of two months ago, October 19th, and that's far from a record for turnaround time between flights, but we don't know if it was just the "next in line" or if there was something that had to be repaired.
But as I've said many times, just use your best Grandpa Simpson / old man voice to say, "I remember when they weren't sure they could get 10 flights out of a booster and now they're going for 40."
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on the ocean-based droneship "Just Read the Instructions" after performing its record 32nd propulsive landing on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX - with minor edits to exposure - SiG)
Monday's launch from Florida was SpaceX's 158th Falcon 9 launch of the year and 510th reflight of a first stage since 2017. The company launched another set of 29 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday (Dec. 7).
If you look at the SpaceX page on NextSpaceflight, you'll see eight launches of Falcon 9 missions with assigned dates and times up to December 28 and three more launches that just say NET (no earlier than) 2025. Eight launches would get them to 166 Falcon 9 launches in one year. Like today, a new world record, but any launch would be. Every launch is some sort of record.
Yet there are still people who hate SpaceX for making space more accessible and cheaper and therefore single-handedly destroying the space 'environment.'
ReplyDeleteEvery launch is at least 3 new records. Greatest civilian launches by a single company, greatest payload to space. Greatest number for week/month/year by a single company. Greatest number of launches by a reusable booster.
Absolutely amazing. And a huge safety record, too.
Another achievement is quickest turn-around after an incident. SpaceX is the best at analyzing, reacting and overcoming issues in flight hardware.
Can't say that with Boeing, who still haven't fixed the thruster issues from two flights ago...
"Yet there are still people who hate SpaceX for making space more accessible and cheaper and therefore single-handedly destroying the space 'environment.' "
DeleteThat one still gets me the most, especially coming from astronomers. The geometry dictates that the satellites can only reflect for the part of the "night" when the sunlight is still reaching the altitude of the satellites but it's dark where the observer is. Yes, it makes the night shorter by making the first and last hours less usable. The fact is never mentioned that Starlink uses a particularly low altitude to minimize internet latency and that also helps minimize the amount of time the satellites are visible.
As always the case with "environmentalists," what they're really complaining about is that the world isn't as pretty as they envision.
I think their bigger complaint is that everybody isn't doing what they want, when they want it.
DeleteJonathan