SpaceX flies Falcon 9 for the 700th time with Starlink launch

SpaceX has flown its Falcon 9 rocket for the 700th time, reaching the milestone with a Starlink launch from California on the eve of Halloween.

The Starlink 15-18 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:04 p.m. local time on Friday, 30 October, which was 12:04 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, 31 October. The rocket flew on a south-easterly path and carried 27 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

The flight also showed how routine reuse has become for SpaceX. The first-stage booster, B1093, was flying for the 18th time. About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, it landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Spaceflight Now reported that it was the 231st landing on that vessel and the 675th Falcon booster landing to date. SpaceX later confirmed that all 27 satellites had been deployed.

The launch was SpaceX’s 11th and final orbital flight in October. Falcon 9 first flew in June 2010 and has since become the company’s workhorse rocket.

Why it matters

Seven hundred flights is a remarkable scale, and most of that total has come from flying the same boosters again and again. Reuse has let SpaceX launch far more often than rivals that throw their rockets away after one use.

The milestone also marks a turning point. SpaceX is starting to wind down Falcon as it shifts focus to Starship, its much larger next-generation rocket, and has said it plans to stop offering Falcon 9 for commercial and government missions in the next few years.

What happens next

SpaceX is expected to keep flying Falcon 9 while Starship builds up its flight rate. Its next big test, Starship Flight 15, was expected to launch from Starbase in Texas in mid-November, with a planned attempt to catch the Starship upper stage.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said the company expects Starship to fly weekly at some point in the first half of next year, and twice a week or more in the second half, as it works towards full and rapid reuse. Until that cadence is proven, Falcon 9 is likely to remain the rocket that keeps Starlink growing.

Sources

• https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/10/30/live-coverage-spacex-to-close-out-october-with-halloween-eve-falcon-9-launch/ (Spaceflight Now, 30 October 2026)
• https://teslanorth.com/2026/10/31/falcon-9-700th-flight/ (TeslaNorth, 31 October 2026)

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.