RIP B1062. 23 flights is literally unheard of.
Champion.
23 flights. 22 landings. That’s insane! It’s bigger news when a new booster shows up for its first launch these days.
It did make 23 landings. The last one just included a RUD
ULT, Unscheduled Leg Test. Pour a glass out on the water for a booster with an incredible record.
I remember when their goal was 10 uses per booster. So if they’re getting boosters to last 20 or more uses, that’s quite frankly amazing. Numbers like that can really help to knock down launch prices.
Just for perspective, B1062 launched:
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GPS-3 4 (USA-309)
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GPS-3 5 (USA-319)
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Inspiration4
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Starlink Group 4-5
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Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1)
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Starlink Group 4-16
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Nilesat-301
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Starlink Group 4-25
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Starlink Group 4-27
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Starlink Group 4-36
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Starlink Group 5-1
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Starlink Group 5-4
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OneWeb #17
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Arabsat 7B (Badr 8)
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Starlink Group 6-7
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Starlink Group 6-23
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Starlink Group 6-30
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Starlink Group 6-38
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Starlink Group 6-44
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Starlink Group 6-49
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Starlink Group 6-59
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Starlink Group 10-3
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Starlink Group 8-6
Source: NextSpaceflight
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o7
o7
Hopefully a useful failure in pointing to ways to improve booster reuse.
A few words from Jon Edwards, VP of Falcon Launch at SpaceX: https://x.com/edwards345/status/1828885347037786343
Losing a booster is always sad. Each one of them has a unique history and character. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often, due to the robust design and vigilance of the team.
We are working as hard as we can to thoroughly understand root cause and get corrective actions in place ASAP. One thing we do know though is this was purely a recovery issue and posed no threat to primary mission or public safety.
I hope they can get back to launching soon, and wish them the best of luck at catching B1061 (also poised to take its 23rd flight).
