With SpaceX’s successful launch of the Starlink Group 12-6 mission on Tuesday, the curtain came down on a year that has seen a record 259 orbital launches from around the world. This has continued a trend over the last few years of ever-increasing numbers of launches driven by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch cadence and increased activity in China’s commercial space sector.
2024 saw the retirement of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket and the original version of Arianespace’s Vega, along with the maiden flights of several new rockets including Ariane 6, ULA’s next-generation Vulcan, and China’s Chang Zheng 12.