SpaceX to cap transitional year with launch, poised for big things in 2020

Enlarge / The Falcon 9 rocket launching Monday has flown twice previously, including this July launch to the International Space Station. (credit: SpaceX)

By some measures, SpaceX has had a relatively sedate 2019. After all, the company has launched a mere dozen rockets so far this year, in comparison to a record-setting 2018, with 22 overall missions. It should add one more flight to that tally on Monday, with the launch of a large, 6.8-ton communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (see details below).

However, the lower launch cadence masks a year in which SpaceX has made considerable technical progress toward some of its biggest goals—an optimized Falcon 9, satellite Internet, and total launch reusability.

Falcon 9

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has long talked about rapid, reusable launch, and in 2019 he continued to make strides toward this vision. The Falcon 9 may have flown less in 2019 due to its lightened manifest, but individual boosters flew more.