SpaceX has updated a new record for reusing Falcon 9 rocket first stages - the company has launched the same booster 17 times

On 20 September at 23:38 (EDT) or 20:38 (PDT), SpaceX sent a new batch of Starlink spacecraft into orbit. The mission was notable for being the 17th time the Falcon 9 rocket has used the same first stage.

Here's What We Know

Falcon 9 launched from the US Space Force base at Cape Canaveral, Florida. 8.5 minutes after launch, the first stage returned to Earth and landed on the unmanned platform A Shortfall of Gravitas. A group of 22 Starlink satellites was successfully deployed into orbit 62 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.

Prior to this mission, there were two first stages that had been used 16 times each. It's worth noting that this was SpaceX's 65th launch in 2023. For all of last year, the American aerospace company performed four fewer launches.

The vast majority of SpaceX missions involve putting Starlink internet satellites into orbit. The constellation of spacecraft continues to grow. It already has more than 4,700 satellites, but that number will increase to at least 30,000 in the future.

Source: SpaceX