SpaceX Falcon 9 Completes 600th Booster Recovery, Reusability Enters Maturity Phase
Summary: On April 20, 2026, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster (B1097.7) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, delivering 25 Starlink satellites to orbit while completing its 600th orbital-class rocket recovery. Just one day later, the GPS III SV10 mission pushed this figure to 601. The journey from 500 to 600 recoveries took only 7 months, as SpaceX has transformed rocket recovery into a routine operation.
Credit: NASA