
Elon Musk-led SpaceX, the company which manufactures rockets and spacecraft to revolutionise space technology, aims to achieve a record-breaking number of annual launches for Falcon rockets.
The American spacecraft manufacturer had earlier aimed to snap the bar of 100 Falcon rocket launches by the end of this year but seems to be lagging behind the pace needed to hit the ambitious milestone.
Since launching its first Falcon rocket in 2010, the company has successfully conducted 90 space flights with its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket and four missions using its Falcon Heavy rocket, which is designed of three Falcon 9 boosters together, as noted by Digital Trends.
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In its most recent mission on Sunday, a Falcom 9 launched a satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for the German Intelligence Service. SpaceX shared some images showing the early stages of the mission:
Aiming to achieve the number it was eyeing during early 2023, SpaceX further plans to send one more Falcon heavy rocket mission, alongside two more Falcon 9 missions, taking the toll to 97. The number of liftoffs by SpaceX could get 99 if two other Starship missions, both of which failed, are also considered.
To repurpose the component for multiple missions, the company has been diligently working to design a spaceflight system capable of landing 41.2.-meter-tall booster upright back on land or on a floating barge. Meanwhile, SpaceX achieved its first successful booster landing in 2015.
A Falcon 9 mission, deploying more satellites for Starlink — Elon Musk’s satellite internet service —recorded its 19th subtle landing of a first-stage booster.
SpaceX-introduced reusable system has brought it highly competitive launch rates, opening a window for space companies willing to send satellites to orbit.