On Saturday, SpaceX successfully launched a satellite for the European Commission’s Galileo global navigation system from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, this mission was special as it marked the 20th time a Falcon 9 booster was reused. This achievement is a testament to the company’s commitment to reusing parts of its rockets, a crucial aspect of its flight system that has enabled SpaceX to dramatically reduce the cost of launches.
The Falcon 9 booster that achieved this milestone first flew in June 2020 and has since launched a plethora of missions, including GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6, Intuitive Machines IM-1, and over a dozen Starlink missions. According to SpaceX, this booster has launched approximately 200 spacecraft as part of its Rideshare program, supported 13 Starlink missions, sent a lunar lander to the moon, and delivered over 228 metric tons to Earth orbit and beyond.
The achievement is not only significant for SpaceX but also for the entire space industry. Reusing rockets is a critical step towards making space exploration more sustainable and cost-effective. SpaceX’s success in reusing its Falcon 9 boosters has paved the way for the company to take its next-generation rocket, Starship, to the next level.
SpaceX Achieves Historic Record with 20th Falcon 9 Booster Reuse
Starship is designed to be reusable and capable of taking both people and cargo to the moon, Mars, and other destinations in the solar system. SpaceX’s goal is to qualify its fleet of Falcon boosters and fairings to support 40 missions each, which would provide valuable information on repeated reuse, a critical element for making life multiplanetary with Starship.
The achievement of the 20th Falcon 9 booster reuse is a testament to the dedication and hard work of SpaceX’s team of engineers. The company has thanked those who have helped to ensure that the booster achieved this milestone and has offered congratulations to its team for all the science, research, connectivity, and exploration they have helped enable.
According to SpaceX, its last single-use Falcon 9 launch was 146 flights ago in November 2022. On most Falcon 9 missions, there is enough propellant remaining in the first stage after stage separation to enable landing, recovery, and ultimate reuse on future missions. The company is working towards making reusability the norm, and its achievement of the 20th Falcon 9 booster reuse is a significant step towards that goal.
