In 2024, global orbital launch activity reached a new milestone, with 259 launch attempts, marking a 17% increase from the previous record of 221 launches set in 2023. The surge in launches was largely driven by SpaceX, which accounted for the majority of this growth. According to SpaceNews analysis, the increase in launches was primarily attributed to SpaceX's expanded operations, which included 134 Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches—significantly more than any other organization globally.
SpaceX's dominance was especially evident in the U.S., where the company performed 88 out of 93 launches from the Eastern Range in Florida, and 46 out of 47 launches from California's Western Range. This was in stark contrast to other U.S. entities, which combined for just 20 launches. Outside the U.S., China was the second-highest performer with 68 launches, breaking its previous record of 67 set in 2023.
Despite this impressive performance, SpaceX did experience some setbacks. There were six total launch failures globally, including issues with small launch vehicles from Japanese venture Space One and Chinese commercial launch vehicles. A Falcon 9 launch in July also faced complications when its upper stage malfunctioned, resulting in Starlink satellites being deployed in orbits too low to survive.
SpaceX, however, remains focused on increasing its launch cadence. While the company set an internal goal of 148 launches for 2024, it fell short, completing 134 launches. In December, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell discussed plans for 2025, aiming for 175 to 180 Falcon launches. “We just keep pushing the limits,” Shotwell said during a December event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She also highlighted the growing role of the Starship program, which SpaceX hopes will ultimately have an even higher launch rate than the Falcon series. “Elon [Musk] is like, ‘I want to launch 1,000 times a year,'” Shotwell said.
SpaceX's ambition for the future is clear, with the company preparing for its first truly orbital Starship missions in 2025, setting the stage for even more frequent space missions in the years to come.
