SpaceX launches its 600th and 602nd rocket in quick succession
SpaceX hit a big milestone this week, launching its 600th and then its 602nd Falcon 9 rockets just two days apart.
Together, they sent up 53 new Starlink satellites, pushing the total number in orbit to over 9,600.
The launches happened from California and Florida—another reminder that SpaceX is basically running a rocket shuttle service at this point.
More than a dozen missions for each booster
The 600th launch took off from Vandenberg in California with 24 satellites and marked Booster 1081's impressive 22nd flight—and SpaceX's record-setting booster recovery number of 571.
Just two days later, the team pulled off the 602nd launch from Cape Canaveral with another batch of satellites, even though weather odds were only about one-in-five for liftoff.
That mission saw Booster 1090 complete its 10th flight and gave SpaceX yet another successful booster recovery (number 572).
Rocket re-use is becoming routine for SpaceX
With each launch, SpaceX keeps making rocket re-use look routine—demonstrating booster re-use and keeping internet coverage growing worldwide.
For anyone dreaming about space or fast global internet, these milestones show how quickly things are moving.