Elon Musk leads SpaceX to set an orbital launch record in 2025

American aerospace company SpaceX is continuously setting records for the number of launches into orbit in a year. The record increased from 25 launches in 2020 to 31 launches (2021), 61 (2022), 96 (2023), 134 (2024) and 165 last year. Thus, in 2025, Elon Musk’s company has performed nearly twice as many orbital launches as China and accounts for about 85% of the total number of US launches.

All 165 launches were carried out by two-stage Falcon 9 rockets. The Falcon Heavy heavy rocket has not flown again since October 2024. The Falcon 9’s first stage is reusable and has returned to Earth to land safely 162 times, with only three exceptions.

Two exceptions belong to the missions that put the giant communications satellite Spainsat NG into geostationary transfer orbit in January and October 2025. These two missions require the Falcon 9’s first stage to carry a heavy load and not have enough fuel left to return to Earth. The remaining exception occurred during the launch of a batch of Starlink Internet satellites on March 3, 2025. The rocket’s first stage landed on the drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean as planned, but later collapsed when a fire broke out near the base and damaged a landing leg.

Starlink missions dominated SpaceX’s launch schedule last year, accounting for 123 of the 165 launches, putting a total of more than 3,000 Internet satellites into orbit. To date, this giant network has more than 9,300 satellites in operation.

In addition to breaking the record for number of launches, SpaceX also achieved many other important milestones in a busy 2025. For example, the company completed its 500th rocket landing and its 500th used rocket launch. They also consistently broke the record for the most launches of a single stage, currently at 32, demonstrating excellent reusability.

The 165 launches still does not include the five suborbital test flights of Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. This stainless steel super rocket will continue to have many activities in 2026, including its first orbital flight, and even a flight to Mars if all goes completely smoothly.