SpaceX launched 21 of its Starlink Internet satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on September 4. This marked SpaceX’s 62nd orbital mission in 2023, breaking its previous record of 61 set in 2022.
SpaceX has just set a new milestone for most orbital launches in a year, breaking the company’s record from 2022.
SpaceX Sets New Launch Record
SpaceX sent 21 of its Starlink Internet satellites into orbit on September 4 atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. According to the company’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, this was SpaceX’s 62nd orbital mission in 2023, setting a new record for the most flights in a year. The previous record was established in 2022.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth as planned, touching down approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the unmanned drone ship “Just Read the Guide,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. According to SpaceX’s mission description, this marked the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster.
Meanwhile, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 continued to soar to deploy the 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65 minutes after liftoff.
The latest launch was part of a momentous day for SpaceX. The company also brought back four astronauts from the Crew-6 mission, who had been at the International Space Station (ISS) since March.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft from the Crew-6 mission, named Endeavour, departed from the ISS at 7 a.m. on September 3. It successfully splashed down off the coast of Florida.