SpaceX Launches Two Rockets in Record-Breaking Year
SpaceX closes out a historic year with two launches in one night.
Record-Breaking Launches
SpaceX continued its string of accomplishments this year by launching two rockets on Thursday night. The first launch was of the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in commercial service, which carried the US military's X-37B spaceplane. The second launch, just a few hours later, was of the Falcon 9 rocket, which carried 23 Starlink Internet satellites.
Notably, this was the shortest time between orbital launches at Cape Canaveral since 1966. Both rockets successfully landed back on Earth for reuse.
Record Year for SpaceX
These two launches mark the end of SpaceX's record-breaking year, which saw a total of 98 flights. This included 91 Falcon 9 launches, five Falcon Heavy launches, and two test launches of the Super Heavy-Starship rocket. These launches took place across four different launch pads in Florida, California, and Texas.
While SpaceX fell just short of its goal of 100 launches, it still surpassed previous records and achieved a remarkable milestone in the industry.
Impressive Accomplishments
SpaceX's 2023 launches were notable not only for their quantity but also for their variety. The company dedicated nearly two-thirds of its missions to launching satellites for its Starlink broadband network, bringing the total number of satellites in the constellation to over 5,000.
Additionally, SpaceX launched three crew missions to the International Space Station and successfully sent NASA's Psyche mission to explore a metallic asteroid. In total, SpaceX's Falcon rockets carried over 1,200 metric tons of payload mass into orbit this year, with most of it consisting of Starlink satellites.
