SpaceX plans to launch 52 rockets in 2022. If successful, that would be the most launches the company has operated in a single year. Last year, SpaceX had already broken its own record with 31 launches.
This Sunday, SpaceX once again delayed the launch of an Italian Earth observation satellite due to the presence of a wandering cruise liner in the " no-go zone" downstream of Cape Canaveral. The first postponement was due to the weather. A new attempt was made successfully on Monday. A few hours ago this Thursday, SpaceX followed up with the launch of an American spy satellite. This was the fifth shot for the company in 2022 . Before the end of the year, it expects 52.
This target of 52 launches was recently communicated during a virtual meeting of NASA's Aerospace Security Advisory Group, or ASAP. Founded in 1968, this body evaluates NASA's safety performance and advises the Agency on ways to improve that performance.
During this meeting, the panel of experts also warned of the disadvantages of such a loaded manifesto. “NASA and SpaceX will need to ensure the right resources are brought in to sustain this pace in a safe manner “, reports The Verge.
As a reminder, SpaceX remains NASA's main partner for manned spaceflight. The company is also responsible for transporting cargo to and from the International Space Station. Additionally, the company is currently developing its Starship spacecraft, which aims to land astronauts on the surface of the Moon as early as 2025 as part of the Artemis program.
Of course, not all of these launches are just for NASA . SpaceX also has many other customers, offering periodic satellite launches for companies or even for the Ministry of Defense.
Another factor explaining this rate of launches is the company's need to deliver its own satellites into orbit. A Starlink mission is launched approximately every two weeks.
Of course, nothing says that SpaceX will be able to reach this "bar" of 52 launches. In 2021, Elon Musk announced a target of 48 launches . However, the company had only been able to insure 31 .
Finally, note that while SpaceX broke its annual record in 2021, the Chinese National Space Administration remains the dominant agency today. Last year, China made no less than 55 shots , all rockets combined. Opposite, the United States proposed "only" 45 launches, most of which were carried out by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
More generally, China accounted for 38% of rocket launches worldwide in 2021 compared to 31% for America, 17% for Russia and only 4 % for Europe (six shots).
