When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.Credit: SpaceXAt SpaceX, what has gone up has now successfully come down 600 times.The company, which was founded by Elon Musk, marked its 600th successful landing of one of its orbital-class rockets with the recovery of the first-stage booster that put a new batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on Sunday (April 19).AdvertisementAdvertisement”Falcon lands for the 600th time!” SpaceX wrote on social media on Sunday. “Falcon 9 launches 25 Starlink satellites from California ahead of completing the 600th overall landing of an orbital-class rocket.”A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California on Sunday, April 19, 2026. | Credit: SpaceXLifting off at 12:03 p.m. EDT (1603 GMT or 9:03 a.m. PDT local time) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base, the latest Falcon 9 rocket to fly deployed the Starlink broadband internet relay satellites (Group 17-22) an hour and two minutes after leaving Southern California.The 25 spacecraft added to SpaceX’s megaconstellation, which numbers more than 10,275 satellites circling the planet.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California on April 19. The mission featured the 600th landing of a Falcon first stage. | Credit: SpaceXAt about eight minutes into Sunday’s launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage (Booster B1097) returned to Earth, touching down on its four landing legs on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. In addition to being the 600th safe recovery of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rocket since 2015, it was the eighth landing for this particular booster.The company reached 500 Falcon rocket landings in September 2025. Sunday’s launch was SpaceX’s 47th Falcon 9 launch of the year and 630th overall. …
