360SpaceX flies its 700th Falcon 9 rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg in California just after midnight Eastern time on 31 October, carrying 27 Starlink internet satellites. It was the 700th Falcon 9 launch since the rocket first flew in 2010, and the 118th this year. The first stage landed on a drone ship in the Pacific minutes later.
SpaceX reached a milestone on Saturday, 31 October, with the 700th launch of its Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California just after midnight Eastern time.
It carried 27 Starlink satellites, part of SpaceX's network that beams internet access from orbit. The mission, called Starlink 15-18, was the 118th Falcon 9 launch of 2026 and SpaceX's 11th orbital flight in October.
About eight and a half minutes after launch, the rocket's first stage landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean, ready to fly again.
Falcon 9 first flew in June 2010. Its reusable first stage, which lands itself after launch, has made it the most-flown rocket in service and sharply cut the cost of reaching orbit.
SpaceX is now beginning to wind down the Falcon programme as it shifts its focus to Starship, its much larger, fully reusable rocket.
Sources: Space.com · Spaceflight Now.