For the sixth year in a row, SpaceX is on course to set a new annual launch record for the Falcon 9 rocket, highlighting SpaceX’s increasing dominance in orbital launch activity, as well as the success of its reusable booster system in enabling frequent, cost-effective flights.
The Elon Musk-led spaceflight company is set to complete 159 Falcon 9 launches by the end of the year, beating last year’s annual tally of 132 — 134 if you count the two Falcon Heavy launches, each of which used three Falcon 9 boosters. While some of the launches have involved satellite deployments for governments and organizations, the vast majority of the missions have sent batches of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites to orbit.
When you think back to 2015 when SpaceX completed a mere 10 Falcon 9 missions, the uptick in the company’s launch frequency is pretty astonishing.
It’s been able to boost its launch activities thanks for the most part to the reliability of its workhorse rocket, and the company’s ability to land the first-stage booster after launch, allowing it to reuse each one for multiple missions.
SpaceX’s main competitors include United Launch Alliance and Rocket Lab, but neither company has come close to the number of launches achieved by SpaceX in 2025.
One to watch is Blue Origin, a spaceflight company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. While mainly known for its single-stage sub-orbital New Shepard rocket that’s been taking paying passengers on rides to the edge of space since 2021, the company is now focusing on the development of its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, which in terms of thrust power sits above the Falcon 9 though below the Falcon Heavy.
The New Glenn took its first flight in January 2025, and its second just last month, deploying two Mars satellites for NASA.
Blue Origin failed to land the first-stage booster in during its maiden mission in January, but succeeded last month, mirroring SpaceX’s landing of the Falcon 9 booster.
SpaceX’s busiest year to date has run alongside its development of the Starship, its next-generation megarocket that’s destined for crew and cargo missions to the moon, and possibly to Mars, too.
The Starship took its first test flight in 2023 and has since flown a further 10 times. Its next test flight is expected to take place early next year.