In a remarkable display of determination, SpaceX executed dual coast-to-coast missions on Sunday, underscoring their commitment to achieving a record-breaking 150 missions in 2024. The aerospace company, founded by Elon Musk, aims for a launch cadence of one mission every 2.8 days to reach this ambitious milestone.

On January 28, SpaceX performed two missions dedicated to deploying the Starlink satellite network within four hours. The first mission, initiated at 8:10 p.m. ET, saw Falcon 9 launch 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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Impressively, this marked the 18th flight for the first stage booster, identified as B1062-18. This veteran booster, having previously supported missions like: GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and now 11 Starlink missions

The B1062-18 booster successfully landed on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” droneship stationed in the ocean, achieving the 267th landing of an orbital-class rocket.

Shortly after, at 9:57 p.m. PT, the second mission commenced as Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Notably, this marked the ninth flight for the first stage booster, identified as B1075-9, which previously launched SDA-0A, SARah-2, and now seven Starlink missions.

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Impressively, B1075-9 made a precise landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, marking the 268th landing of an orbital-class rocket and the 239th reuse of a previously-flown booster.

These successful missions contribute to SpaceX’s progress in 2024, with nine launches completed out of the targeted 150. Since 2019, the company has deployed a total of 5,806 Starlink satellites, and as of today, approximately 5,418 remain operational in Low Earth Orbit, according to data compiled by Astronomer Jonathan McDowell. SpaceX’s relentless pursuit of its goals continues to reshape the landscape of space exploration and satellite communication.

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