Who launches the world's rockets, and can anyone compete with SpaceX?
A 2024 report said SpaceX's Falcon rockets launched close to 87% of all mass sent to orbit in 2023. Rivals in the US and Europe are racing to catch up, and each has hit delays.
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Which one is it?
SpaceX launches most of it, by a wide margin, and rivals are still catching up. A 2024 report said SpaceX, using its Falcon family of rockets, launched close to 87% of all mass sent to orbit in 2023. SpaceX conducts more orbital launches each year than any other launch provider, national programs included. As of 20 October 2026, Falcon 9 had achieved 694 full mission successes in 697 launches.
Reuse is central: the record for a single Falcon 9 is 37 flights as of October 2026. Falcon 9's falling costs pushed rivals to build their own cheaper vehicles, such as Europe's Ariane 6 and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur. They did not get there smoothly.
As of October 2026, each challenger has had a setback. Vulcan launches were paused after a issue in February 2026. Blue Origin's New Glenn exploded during a test on 28 May 2026. Rocket Lab announced on 14 October a tank problem pushing the debut of its Neutron to 2027. Ariane 6, meanwhile, had not reached its targeted launch rate.
On 20 October 2026, Al Jazeera reported, Musk said on a SpaceX earnings call that SpaceX and Tesla had set up special committees to explore a merger, while adding that it would be "overstating it" to call a merger a certainty.
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Recap
As of October 2026, Falcon 9 is the proven reusable workhorse, and each challenger has hit delays.
💡 A trick to remember it · A marathon where one runner re-uses his shoes: the others are still lacing up.
Surprising fact · A 2024 report said SpaceX launched close to 87% of all mass sent to orbit in 2023.
Connects to
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- Economies of scale
Sources (8)
No source, no claim. Every fact in this lesson (16 claims) cites at least one of these.