SpaceX Rockets the U.S. Ahead: A New Era in Space Dominance

SpaceX has recently achieved a symbolic and truly historic milestone – the Falcon 9 rockets have completed 600 launches and made 560 landings. A significant part of these launches occurred just in the last few years, which sharply changed the balance of power in global space exploration and elevated the United States to a fundamentally new level in terms of cumulative launch metrics.

By the end of 2025, the United States had, for the first time, surpassed the USSR in total payload capacity of launch vehicles throughout the history of space launches. The Soviet Union held a leadership position for decades due to a vast number of launches, and even the massive Starlink constellation coupled with hundreds of Falcon 9 launches allowed the U.S. to catch up with and overtake this figure only now. It’s important to consider that this is not about the actual deployed payload but rather the maximum payload capacity of the rockets, i.e., the cumulative potential “power” of all launches. For clarity: in 2025, Russia made 17 launches, while the United States completed 190, of which 165 were attributed to SpaceX. Without this company’s contribution, the USSR would still maintain a decisive advantage in this statistic.

Lately, SpaceX has not only continued its successful streak but has also started testing its next-generation Starship spacecraft, which is expected to radically enhance the company’s capability to achieve even higher payloads. This new development promises to expand the edge that the U.S. has obtained, potentially setting the stage for a renewed race for the moon and Mars.

Politically, the advancements by SpaceX have invigorated discussions regarding the strategic positioning of the U.S. among international competitors. With the successful introduction of reusable rocket technology, which drastically cuts down on costs and increases sustainability, the competition with other leading space programs in China and the European Union is expected to intensify over the next few years. Space enthusiasts and experts predict that by leveraging their advanced technologies, SpaceX and the U.S. will further shape the future trajectory of human space exploration and international cooperation or competition.