SpaceX has dominated the global rocket launch market by launching 525 out of the world’s 626 spacecraft in the first quarter of the year. This is significantly more than China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., which launched 27 spacecraft, and Russia’s Roscosmos, which launched 24 spacecraft.
During the first quarter, SpaceX launched spacecraft weighing approximately 429,125 kilograms, far surpassing CASC’s 29,426 kilograms and Roscosmos’ 23,782 kilograms.
Phil Smith, a space industry analyst at BryceTech, noted, “The takeaways are not surprising. SpaceX is leading the pack, followed by China and others.”
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BryceTech, an analytics firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, compiled these statistics and provides launch industry data to the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation.
In 2023, there were 45 orbital launches in Florida from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with SpaceX responsible for 43 of them. United Launch Alliance conducted the other two launches: the first Vulcan mission on Jan. 8 and the last Delta IV Heavy mission on April 9.
Phil Smith remarked, “It’s really impressive what SpaceX can do. Not long ago, it was impressive for a company to launch 10 times in a year.”
Why the multitude of launches? Smith explained that SpaceX is progressing rapidly with its Starlink deployment. Starlink announced the availability of its high-speed internet network in Sierra Leone, marking its expansion into the 100th market worldwide.
As of June 13, there were 6,079 functioning Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit, as confirmed by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Smith added, “Roughly half of the approved constellation’s 12,000 satellites have been deployed, with plans for 40,000 in the future.”
‘Smallsat’ Statistical Breakdown
According to BryceTech’s report, there were 2,860 “smallsats” weighing 1,200 kilograms or less launched globally last year. The breakdown shows that 79% were communications satellites, while remote sensing (13%), technology development (7%), and scientific (1%) applications made up the remaining launches.
- SpaceX and OneWeb launched 2,116 of these smallsats, with other companies and entities launching the remaining 744.
- Smallsats constituted 97% of all spacecraft launched in 2023.
Smith predicts that this year will likely surpass the previous year’s 2,860-small sat total.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, mentioned in a tweet on June 7 that Falcon 9 is on track to set a new record for the mass delivered to Earth’s orbit in a year. Shortly after, a Falcon 9 launched 22 additional Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Massive SpaceX Starship to Launch in the Future
SpaceX is planning to launch its Starship-Super Heavy two-stage mega-rocket from KSC and hopes to send up the massive launch system by 2026 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.Â
The FAA and U.S. Air Force are working on Starship environmental impact statements along with NASA, the Coast Guard, and other federal agencies. The fourth test flight of Starship took off from Boca Chica, Texas, on June 6.
According to Smith, SpaceX is in a transitional phase between Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship, with Falcon 9 expected to stay until Starship is routinely used.
Amazon is gearing up to launch half of Project Kuiper’s broadband satellite constellation by July 2026, as stated by an Amazon vice president during a recent speech.
Amazon is currently hiring for its $120 million satellite processing facility at KSC’s Launch and Landing facility.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and KSC, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
