3 min learnAug 16, 2026 12:12 PM IST
SpaceX set a brand new launch report after two Falcon 9 rockets lifted off from reverse coasts of america simply 38 minutes aside.
The rapid-fire launches happened on Saturday, with one Falcon 9 carrying eight Globalstar satellites from Florida and one other launching the categorised USSF-366 mission for the US Area Pressure from California.
2 launches in 38 minutes
The primary Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Area Pressure Station in Florida at 9.12 pm EDT on Saturday (6.42 am IST on Sunday). It carried eight satellites for Louisiana-based telecommunications firm Globalstar into low Earth orbit.
SpaceX mentioned all eight satellites have been efficiently deployed, with the spacecraft separating over a interval of about six minutes starting roughly 56.5 minutes after liftoff.
Simply 38 minutes later, one other Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Area Pressure Base on California’s central coast. The rocket lifted off at 9.50 pm EDT (7.20 am IST on Sunday), carrying the categorised USSF-366 mission for the US Area Pressure.
The 2 launches broke SpaceX’s earlier report for the shortest hole between two orbital missions. That report was set on August 31, 2024, when two Starlink missions launched 65 minutes aside.
Categorized USSF-366 mission
Particulars about USSF-366 stay restricted as a result of it’s a nationwide safety mission. SpaceX ended its livestream shortly after the Falcon 9’s first-stage touchdown, as is customary for categorised launches.
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Some spaceflight observers have speculated that the mission may contain categorised low Earth orbit satellites for a US authorities company. Subsequent Spaceflight urged that the payload could also be linked to SpaceX’s Starshield platform, which makes use of modified variations of Starlink satellites for nationwide safety missions.
Nonetheless, SpaceX has not disclosed the payload or its last vacation spot.
Each Falcon 9 boosters landed efficiently
Each launches additionally demonstrated SpaceX’s continued use of reusable Falcon 9 boosters.
The booster used for the Globalstar mission landed again at Cape Canaveral roughly eight minutes after liftoff. Saturday’s flight marked its 14th mission.
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The Falcon 9 used for USSF-366 accomplished its first-stage touchdown round 8.5 minutes after launch, touching down on SpaceX’s drone ship Of Course I Nonetheless Love You within the Pacific Ocean. The booster has now accomplished 18 missions.
Falcon 9 launches attain 96 in 2026
The 2 launches introduced SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch tally for 2026 to 96 missions.
Starlink continues to account for almost all of those flights, making up roughly 75 per cent of the 12 months’s Falcon 9 launches to this point.
The most recent doubleheader highlights SpaceX’s more and more fast launch cadence, with the corporate utilizing a number of launch websites and reusable boosters to assist industrial, communications and nationwide safety missions.
