SpaceX is now launching 10 rockets for every one by its main competitor

The launch of two Falcon 9 rockets was a low-key affair. The first booster lifted off on Friday night and carried three tons of supplies to the International Space Station. The second mission boosted the number of Starlink satellites to 53.

Falcon 9 launches have become so common that the launches attracted little notice. The company has launched 31 rockets this year. The record for the launch company was set in 2021.

This year has seen the addition of Starlink satellites, crew and cargo missions for NASA, as well as commercial satellites. Since the beginning of the year, the Falcon 9 rocket has launched every 6.4 days and has lofted more than 300,000 kilograms into the atmosphere. This is more than every other company in the world. There are two more Starlink launches this week.

The boundaries of reuse continue to be pushed by the company. Three different first stages were flown on the company's 13th flights. For now, there seem to be no showstoppers to preclude flying many more missions each, according to officials with the company.

Take the flight rate of United Launch Alliance into account. ULA launched its last 31 rockets in March of last year. Every 64 days, there is a single launch.

The company is now launching at a rate of 10 rockets to each of its American competitors. Both companies have very high success rates.

The competition will change over time. ULA's new heavy lift rocket is likely to be launched in the first half of the next decade. The company's cadence should increase greatly with a lengthy launch manifest that includes both institutional customers. As ULA scales up its operations, this is likely to happen in the mid-2020s.

The next- generation Starship rocket is being worked on by the company. The rocket is expected to begin a series of test flights in the next six months. There will be operations in Florida for the launches of Starship and Super Heavy. The Launch Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center is now home to a number of segments of an Orbital launch tower. A photographer was able to take a picture of the launch tower for Ars during a remote camera setup.

It's not clear how the launch activities will be divided between Florida and Texas. It appears that the company will only move to the Florida range after it has confidence in the performance of the vehicle. It makes sense because of the high value assets of NASA, the Department of Defense, and other launch companies nearby in Florida.