SpaceX Sets New Launch Record With Two Falcon 9 Rockets 38 Minutes Apart

SpaceX has set a new spaceflight record after launching two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart from opposite coasts of the United States on Saturday, August 15.

The first Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:12 p.m. EDT, carrying eight satellites for telecommunications company Globalstar into low Earth orbit. All eight satellites were successfully deployed.

Just 38 minutes later, another Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 9:50 p.m. EDT. The mission, designated USSF-366, was conducted for the U.S. Space Force and carried a classified payload.

The doubleheader broke SpaceX’s previous record for the shortest time between two orbital launches. The previous record was set in August 2024, when two Starlink missions launched 65 minutes apart. SpaceX’s latest achievement cuts that interval by 27 minutes.

Both Falcon 9 first stages also successfully landed after completing their missions. The booster used for the Globalstar flight completed its 14th mission, landing at Cape Canaveral, while the USSF-366 booster completed its 18th flight, landing on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.

The USSF-366 payload remains classified, although spaceflight observers have suggested it could involve satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield platform for U.S. national-security missions. SpaceX ended its livestream shortly after the booster landing, as is typical for classified military launches.

The two launches also pushed SpaceX’s 2026 Falcon 9 launch total to 96, with roughly three-quarters of those missions dedicated to expanding the company’s Starlink satellite network.

The record-breaking double launch highlights SpaceX’s increasingly rapid launch cadence and the operational flexibility of its reusable Falcon 9 system.