Cortex Times

Cape Canaveral, FL – In a new milestone, shared by SpaceX on X, Falcon 9 successfully completed its 500th mission overall on July 2, 2025, with the launch of the Starlink 10-25 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This landmark achievement not only solidifies Falcon 9’s position as a workhorse of the space industry but also highlighted its incredible reusability, with the first-stage booster (B1067) completing a record-setting 29th flight.

The pre-dawn launch, which lifted off at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 UTC), saw the Falcon 9 propel 27 Starlink V2 Mini-Optimized satellites into low-Earth orbit. The flawless ascent and subsequent deployment of the satellites underscored the rocket’s remarkable reliability, boasting a success rate of 99.8% for its Block 5 variant.

Congrats @SpaceX team on 500 orbital spaceflight missions! https://t.co/4oIjqO9F3E

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2025

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, lauded the “entire SpaceX team for making the impossible possible on the road to rapidly reusable rockets!” This 500th mission, counting all Falcon 9 flights including those with partial or pre-flight failures, is a testament to the company’s commitment to making space access more routine and affordable.

The booster, B1067, which returned safely to Earth with a precise landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean, is now nearing SpaceX’s stated goal of 40 reuses for a single booster. Its impressive flight history includes four Dragon missions (two crew and two cargo) and numerous Starlink deployments, showcasing the economic and operational advantages of rapid reusability.

This milestone comes shortly after SpaceX marked its 500th orbital launch of a Falcon family rocket (including Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy) on June 4, 2025, from Vandenberg Space Force Base. As of July 13, 2025, Falcon 9 rockets have been launched 513 times, further demonstrating the accelerated pace of launches enabled by this revolutionary technology. With its relentless cadence and commitment to innovation, SpaceX continues to redefine the landscape of spaceflight.

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Sources:
SpaceX on X: SpaceX. (2025, July 13). Falcon 9 completes its 500th overall mission! [Post]. @SpaceX.
Elon Musk on X: Musk, E. (2025, July 13). Congrats to the entire SpaceX team for making the impossible possible on the road to rapidly reusable rockets! [Post]. @elonmusk.