SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight Count Lags 2025 Record as Starlink Fleet Grows
The rocket has flown 116 times this year, a pace that suggests 2025 remains its busiest year on record.
By Leila Santos ·
The Falcon 9 rocket has completed 116 launches in 2026, a pace that trails the 165 missions flown last year.
On Oct. 23, SpaceX sent 27 Starlink satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The liftoff at 6:48 p.m. EDT marked the 116th flight of the year. About three-quarters of this year's launches have been dedicated to the Starlink constellation, which now counts more than 11,000 active spacecraft.
The launch followed an 11-day gap. The previous Starlink mission lifted off on Oct. 12, which was itself the first such flight in more than three weeks. At their peak, these missions flew every two to three days.
Booster B1063 carried the payload. This specific booster has flown 36 times. It previously launched NASA's DART asteroid mission in November 2021. After separating from the upper stage, B1063 landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. The upper stage completed its burn and began deploying the satellites 62 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX is shifting focus to the Starship rocket. Starship is designed for full reusability and carries larger Version 3 Starlink satellites that do not fit in the Falcon 9. The company plans to phase out the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy once Starship becomes operational.
The transition is visible in launch locations. The 100th launch of 2026 was the final Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral. Similar shifts may occur on the West Coast. At the current rate, the Falcon 9 is expected to fly just under 150 missions by the end of 2026.
Source: Space.com
