SpaceX is now delivering about twice as much payload to orbit as the rest of the world combined, says Elon Musk

SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared that the aerospace company is now delivering about twice as much payload to orbit as the rest of the world combined. This is unprecedented in the history of rocketry. SpaceX launched a total of 31 Falcon 9 missions in 2021 and is working to achieve doubling that in 2022. "SpaceX Falcon 9 team is making excellent progress – aiming for 60 launches this year!" said Musk in March. So far, SpaceX has launched 44 missions out of 60 scheduled in this year's launch manifest. Musk aims to double the amount of annual rocket launches again in 2023 –"...Aiming for up to 100 flights next year," he shared. 

The impressive capability is possible thanks to SpaceX’s ability to reuse orbital-class Falcon 9 rockets. SpaceX recovers the first-stage booster by performing propulsive landings on autonomous droneships at sea. To date, it has landed a total of 143 Falcon 9 rockets and reused first-stage boosters 119 times. Rocket reusability enables SpaceX to launch payload to orbit on a weekly basis, no other company in the world has this capability. 

According to data compiled by BryceTech, during the second quarter (Q2) of 2022 "SpaceX led the global launch market, launching nearly 160,000 kilograms [kg] of upmass across 16 launches." BryceTech created a collection of infographics, pictured below, that compare the world’s aerospace companies' achievements during Q2. "SpaceX now delivering about twice as much payload to orbit as rest of world combined," said Musk in response to the BryceTech infographic. "Still very tiny potatoes compared to what’s needed to make life multiplanetary," he wrote via Twitter. 

SpaceX launched 158,666 kg of upmass and 473 spacecraft in Q2. Next up is the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation with 38,822 kg upmass and 36 spacecraft launched. Russia’s Roscosmos Space Agency launched 17,189 kg and only 8 spacecraft in Q2. United Launch Alliance (ULA) was next for American launchers with 13,000 kg and 1 spacecraft. The final on the list with the least upmass is Arianespace with 9,829 kg and 2 spacecraft. The only companies capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station are Roscosmos and SpaceX.

SpaceX now delivering about twice as much payload to orbit as rest of world combined

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2022

Infographic Source: BryceTech 

Featured Images Source: SpaceX