SpaceX begins transition from its most successful rocket
▼ Summary
– SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch rate is slightly declining as the company shifts focus to the larger Starship rocket.
– SpaceX conducted 165 Falcon 9 launches in 2025, up from 134 in 2024, but plans around 140-145 Falcon launches in 2026.
– Launch Complex-39A in Florida is being transitioned from Falcon 9 to Starship launches, though it still supports occasional Falcon Heavy missions.
– SpaceX retired one of its two Florida-based landing platforms to repurpose it for transporting Starships and Super Heavy boosters.
– A second Starship factory is being built at Kennedy Space Center, but SpaceX aims to begin Starship flights from Florida before it is operational.
SpaceX may not be ready to say goodbye to its most iconic rocket just yet, but the numbers tell a clear story: the Falcon 9 is slowly stepping aside to make room for something much bigger. Launch rates for the workhorse vehicle have dipped, and while the change is subtle, it marks a deliberate strategic pivot rather than any operational hiccup.
Last year, SpaceX fired off 165 Falcon 9 missions, with no Falcon Heavy launches mixed in. That total climbed from 134 combined Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy flights in 2024, and 96 Falcon missions in 2023. But the pace is set to slow. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told Time earlier this year that the company anticipates “maybe 140, 145-ish” Falcon launches in 2026. “This year we’ll still launch a lot, but not as much,” she said. “And then we’ll tail off our launches as Starship is coming online.”
That tail-off is already visible, especially at Cape Canaveral, Florida, where SpaceX has historically launched the bulk of its rockets. Until last December, the company maintained a steady cadence from two pads on Florida’s Space Coast: one at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and another a few miles south on military ground at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Now, Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy is being converted for Starship operations. It has been pulled from the Falcon 9 rotation, though it still hosts occasional flights of the more powerful triple-core Falcon Heavy. Last week, SpaceX launched the first Falcon Heavy in 18 months from that pad, and several more Falcon Heavy missions are scheduled for later this year.
Activity is also winding down at Space Launch Complex-40, SpaceX’s oldest active site. Last month, the company retired one of its two Florida-based drone ships, repurposing it as a transporter to move Starship and Super Heavy boosters from the South Texas factory to Florida. SpaceX is building a second Starship factory at Kennedy Space Center, but officials plan to begin Starship launches from Florida even before that facility is complete.
(Source: Ars Technica)
