Follow us on Google News (click on ☆)
The figures were impressive: 165 orbital launches were carried out during the year, setting a new record for the sixth consecutive time. This activity far surpasses that of many countries, as the company performed nearly double the missions of China and accounted for about 85% of U.S. flights.
All of these liftoffs were supported by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, whose first stage is designed to be reused. Of the 165 missions, three experienced a failure during the landing phase. Two of these incidents involved heavy satellites sent to a geostationary orbit, a maneuver leaving too little fuel for the return.
The vast majority of launches, precisely 123, were dedicated to deploying the Starlink constellation. These flights allowed for the addition of more than 3000 satellites to the fleet, which now includes more than 9300 operational devices.
SpaceX also celebrated its 500th rocket landing and, consequently, its 500th launch using previously flown equipment. Furthermore, a Falcon 9 booster set a record with 32 missions.
Beyond the Falcon 9, five suborbital test flights of the Starship launch vehicle, the largest ever built, were conducted.
Reusability of Space Launch Vehicles
Reusability is a decisive approach that is changing the economics of spaceflight. Rather than building a new rocket for each mission, the recovery and refurbishment of stages allow for a significant reduction in costs. Popularized by SpaceX with its Falcon 9, this method relies on decades of work in the aerospace sector.
Vertical landing techniques, like those implemented by SpaceX, require extreme precision and highly sophisticated guidance systems. The boosters must maneuver to reach a maritime or land-based platform, often after traveling thousands of kilometers (thousands of miles).
Other companies, such as Blue Origin, are also designing reusable rockets, a competition that fosters advancements. This direction could, in the long term, broaden access to space, allowing a greater number of countries and organizations to launch satellites or scientific missions.