SpaceX launches two rockets 38 minutes apart, a record

Getting two rockets off the ground used to take SpaceX at least an hour. On Saturday, it did it in 38 minutes. The first Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying eight satellites for the telecom company Globalstar. The second launched from Vandenberg, California, carrying a classified U.S. Space Force mission.

SpaceX's old record was 65 minutes, set in August 2024 with two Starlink launches. Cutting that by 27 minutes means the company can now fly missions from opposite U.S. coasts almost back to back. Launching from two separate pads, one on each coast, is what makes that gap possible. Neither pad has to reset before the next launch. The second rocket's cargo stays a mystery. Space Force missions like it are classified, so the public won't get details on what actually reached orbit.

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How much faster can this get? SpaceX has been shrinking the gap between its launches for years. It's chasing a pace closer to commercial air travel than traditional rocketry. Each record like this one makes it easier to argue that spaceflight is becoming routine, not rare.