It seems that 2022 has been a busy year for SpaceX in terms of rocket launches. This year, the company recorded a whopping 61 missions, with the final one for 2022 blasted off last Thursday night, Digital Trends reported.
This year's record surpassed SpaceX's previous numbers. In 2020, the commercial spaceflight company recorded a total of 26 launches. Meanwhile, in 2021, it sent 31 rockets to space. All of the previous missions involved the dependable Falcon 9 rocket.
All of SpaceX's rocket launches this year used the reliable Falcon 9 except for a mission last November where the more powerful triple-booster Falcon heavy was used to deploy two US Space Force satellites.
SpaceX Recorded a Total of 198 Rocket Launches
The California-based commercial spaceflight company has clearly come a long way since it sent its first cargo flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2012. During that year, it only recorded two launches.
Aside from deploying numerous satellites in low-Earth orbit, SpaceX also began conducting regular crewed flights to and from the ISS in 2020.
This enabled NASA to launch its astronauts to space from US soil. This is the first time that the agency was able to do it since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.
SpaceX has been able to increase its launch frequency partly because of the Falcon 9's design. The rocket's design enables the landing of the first stage. With that, it can be easily deployed for multiple missions.
This practice lets SpaceX focus on refurbishing a small fleet of rockets instead of building numerous single-use boosters at great cost.
Based on SpaceX's record, the company has already launched 198 rockets, achieved 159 booster landings, and conducted 133 reflights.
Read Also: Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT Enlists SpaceX's Starship to Launch Superbird-9 in 2024
SpaceX Conducts its 61st and Final Launch for 2022
On December 29, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying the Israeli Earth-imaging satellite EROS C-3, according to Space.com.
According to Jesse Anderson, SpaceX's production and engineering manager, the mission is SpaceX's 61stand final launch this year.
It seems like SpaceX will be even busier in 2023, with more customers looking to send small satellites into orbit.
The company is also using its spaceflight hardware to bring large numbers of its Starlink internet satellites into space.
Looking further into the future, the spaceflight company is also preparing for the first flight of its next-generation Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft.
A few years from now, a version of Starship is set to bring the first woman and first person of color onto the lunar surface through NASA's Artemis III mission. Moreover, the said rocket could even carry the first astronauts to Mars.
Next year, Starship is also set to carry passengers on the first all-civilian mission to the moon. This is after Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa bought nine seats for the dearMoon mission.
The dearMoon mission will involve a flyby to the lunar surface before returning home. While the space voyage is set for 2023, delays in testing the Super Heavy rocket and Starship could possibly mean SpaceX will likely miss that date.
Related Article: SpaceX's Crew-5 Launch is Delayed to Next Month Due to Hurricane Ian
