SpaceX launched its 61st rocket mission of the year on Saturday, tying its own record set in 2022. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:56 p.m. IST carrying 13 satellites for the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA).
The satellites are part of the SDA's Tranche 0 program, which is developing a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to track hypersonic and other threats. The satellites are expected to be deployed into orbit about 65 minutes after launch.
The launch was a success, and the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed back on the launch pad at Vandenberg. This was the 13th time this particular booster has flown.
With this launch, SpaceX has now launched more rockets than any other company in history. The company is on track to launch more than 100 rockets in 2023.
CEO Elon Musk congratulated the SpaceX team on the successful launch, tweeting, "Great work by the SpaceX team." He also noted that SpaceX has delivered 80% of all Earth payload mass to orbit in 2023.
The 61st launch is a significant milestone for SpaceX and for the commercial space industry. It shows that SpaceX is capable of launching rockets at a rapid pace and that the commercial space industry is growing rapidly.
