Hawthorne, CA – SpaceX has achieved an unprecedented milestone, completing its 100th launch of 2024. The milestone launch, designated as F9-100, occurred on October 15, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a payload of 40 Starlink satellites into orbit. The mission lasted approximately 60 minutes, with the Starlink satellites deploying into their designated orbits. 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. 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.
Credit SpaceX
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.
Previous year, SpaceX launched 96 times, accounting for 43 percent of all launches across the world. 91 Falcon 9 and five Falcon Heavy rockets made up the 96 launches, with the previous record being 64 launches in one year.
This achievement marks the fastest pace of launches ever achieved by a single company in a calendar year. SpaceX's impressive launch manifest for 2024 includes a diverse range of missions, such as crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS), national security launches for the US Department of Defense, commercial satellite launches, NASA's Europa Clipper mission to explore Jupiter's icy moon, and the ongoing expansion of the Starlink constellation.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation, which has grown to over 4,000 satellites, provides high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity to remote and underserved communities worldwide. The company's innovative approach to space technology has paved the way for a new era in space exploration and development.
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