SpaceX launches two Falcon 9 rockets 38 minutes apart, setting new record

Key facts

• SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets within 38 minutes on August 15, 2026, setting a new company record for the shortest gap between orbital launches.
• The first Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying eight satellites for Globalstar.
• The second Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for the US Space Force mission USSF-366.
• The USSF-366 mission is believed to involve a classified national security payload, possibly based on SpaceX's Starshield platform.
• Both missions achieved successful booster recoveries, with the Florida booster completing its 14th flight and the California booster its 18th mission.
• SpaceX's previous record was set in August 2024, when two Falcon 9 rockets launched 65 minutes apart.
• SpaceX has completed 96 Falcon 9 missions in 2026, with nearly three-quarters supporting the Starlink constellation expansion.
• The Starlink constellation now consists of almost 11,000 satellites orbiting Earth.