SpaceX launches twice on opposite coasts
SpaceX today completed two launches from opposite coasts, with both launches taking place at almost the same time.
First SpaceX launched eight Globalstar telecommunications satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida. The two fairings halves were both reused, but the announcer only stated that one has completed its 8th flight. The first stage (B1090) completed its 14th flight (42 days after its previous mission), landing back at SpaceX’s landing zone at Cape Canaveral.
Then, only about 45 minutes later it placed a classified payload into orbit for the Space Force, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The two fairing halves completed their 27th and 29th flights respectively. The first stage (B1088), completed its 18th flight (48 days after its previous mission), landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.
The leaders in the 2026 launch race:
99 SpaceX
52 China
11 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
10 Russia
For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 99 to 89.
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The best part was the Globalstar satellites from the first launch actually finally were deployed after the USSF classified satellite was deployed.
SpaceX carried the feed including both missions in a single showing.
The second stage with the Globalstar satellites coasted for close to an hour, which gave them time to cover the USSF launch, before boosting it’s orbit and finally releasing the 8 satellites one at a time.
According to NASASpaceflight, that is a new record for the shortest interval between two Falcon 9 launches – just 38 minutes between the launch of USSF-366 from Vandy and the Globalstar 2-R launch from Florida.
Well, each FH is a launch of three ;)
A decade ago, ULA bragged about its amazing feat of two launches from opposite coasts in only six days of each other. Now SpaceX has done the same in 1/200th the time span.
What a difference a decade makes.
Hmm. Has ULA matched its previous achievement since then?
After China’s launch today, noted in another post, SpaceX leads the rest of the world in the number of launches by 10%, by our host’s reckoning. They lead in mass to orbit by a bit more.
If you build it, they will come.
Ship 40 being towed to Christmas Island:
https://x.com/interstellargw/status/2089067582603104627
https://x.com/JConcilus/status/2089011917197279453
This being looked at?
https://astrolabeshipping.com/dyt-superyacht-transport
A thought about ditching….
Some want a Lunar Starship on its side…what better place for a test burn than the ocean?
I was thinking a submerged heavy lift ship might be a target.
Starship lays down, the ship blows its ballast and rises up to meet it—or you make like the Liparus and eat Stromberg 1
The Artemis 1 Orion was recovered that way.
Yeah, it’s been pretty obvious for several days that Christmas Island was the intended landfall – assuming Ship 40 didn’t founder first. Apparently she still has watertight integrity, post-storm, so it’s probably just a matter of time before the gallant old girl gets to Xmas Island. Once there, who knows what’s next? SpaceX doubtless has plans but we mere hoi polloi will just have to await developments.
And thanks for The Spy Who Loved Me reference. The goddess-like image of the fabulous Caroline Munro instantly flashed into my head. One of the great beauties of the age and still a looker at 77.