Elon Musk celebrates SpaceX’s new world record following the Transporter-9 mission.

The mission was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:49 am local time (1:49 pm EST; 1849 GMT). The rocket’s first stage returned to the launch site and landed vertically about 7.5 minutes later. This was the 12th flight and recovery for this booster, per SpaceX’s mission details.

90 payloads and a world record

The payloads included cubesats, microsats, and orbital transfer vehicles that will deploy more spacecraft at a later stage, according to the mission description.

SpaceX has achieved a world record by delivering over 1,000 metric tons of mass to orbit this year, as its founder Elon Musk claimed. He also said this is much more than any other country has launched with its rocket fleet in a year. The closest competitor was the Soviet Union at its peak, with around 500 tons.

In comparison, the rest of the world has launched only about 250 tons into orbit so far this year, with China being the major contributor.

As per the mission description, the payloads will be released into low Earth orbit between 54 and 85.5 minutes after the launch.

While 90 is an impressive number, it is not the highest. SpaceX’s Transporter-1 mission holds the record, with 143 satellites launched in January 2021. Transporter-6, which flew in January this year, was also more productive, with 114 satellites on board.

Transporter-9 is the 82nd orbital mission for SpaceX in 2023, breaking its record for a single year. (The previous record, 61 launches, was set in 2022.) Most of this year’s missions have been dedicated to expanding Starlink, SpaceX’s internet mega constellation, which currently has over 5,000 operational satellites.

Starship preparing to launch as early as November 17, pending final regulatory approval → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/qRKv9ugWsR

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 11, 2023

In a related development, SpaceX’s next Starship test launch could take place as soon as November 17, subject to regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies.

The potential launch from SpaceX’s Starbase test site at Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas, will be the company’s second test flight of an orbital class Starship and Super Heavy booster — the most giant and most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX launched its first Starship test flight in April, but it blew up shortly after liftoff.