SpaceX Keeps Pushing Boundaries With Falcon 9 While Starship Awaits Its Turn

SpaceX announced yet another successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, noting that one of the payload fairings, numbered SN185, ventured into space for the 36th time during the Starlink 6-78 mission. This fairing began its career in 2022. Crafted from a carbon composite material, the fairing protects satellites on their journey to orbit. It is jettisoned approximately 3 minutes into flight, and SpaceX retrieves the fairings for reuse in future missions.

Currently, the fairings are outpacing the Falcon 9 boosters in this race – the record-holder, B1067, has 32 re-flights so far.

In 2025, SpaceX has continued to push the boundaries with Falcon 9, successfully launching it more than 60 times, supporting a variety of missions including advanced polar launches and supporting projects that integrate global internet coverage through Starlink. Elon Musk has emphasized that Falcon 9’s reliability and reusability have surpassed expectations, revolutionizing the costs associated with space travel.

On the production sites, the Starship S33, which is set for scrapping, symbolizes the company’s iterative approach to design and improvement. Starship’s development, though facing delays, aims for a major milestone in 2026, where it is expected to perform an orbital test flight, marking a significant leap forward in SpaceX’s Mars ambitions.