Orbital Launch Activity Hits New Record in 2023

Falcon 9 liftoff

SpaceX capped a banner year with dual launches from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 28: A Falcon 9 lifted off about 3 hr. after a pair of side boosters from a Falcon Heavy landed back at the base.

Credit: SpaceX
Led by SpaceX, the number of orbital launch attempts last year rose by 20% over 2022, with 223 flights attempted and 212 reaching orbit, according to statistics compiled by Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard-Smithsonian Center astrophysicist who maintains a database of worldwide astronautical activity...

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