{
  "id": 1179029,
  "title": "New record! SpaceX launches 2 Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/new-record-spacex-launches-2-falcon-9-rockets-just-38-minutes-apart",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-16T02:54:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Space.com",
    "slug": "space-com",
    "url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-breaks-record-launch-doubleheader-ussf-366-globalstar-2r"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "SpaceX achieved a new record on Aug. 15, 2026, by launching two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This broke their previous record set on Aug. 31, 2024, by 27 minutes. The first Falcon 9 carried eight satellites for Globalstar, a telecom company, into low Earth orbit (LEO). The second rocket, launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, was part of a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force, designated USSF-366. While details about USSF-366 are limited, it is believed to be a batch of classified LEO satellites for a U.S. government entity, potentially using SpaceX's Starshield project. Both first stages of the rockets successfully landed, with the Globalstar booster making its 14th flight and the USSF-366 booster logging its 18th mission. This double launch brought the total number of Falcon 9 launches in 2026 to 96, with around 75% of them being Starlink missions.",
  "summary": "SpaceX launched two of its Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart on Saturday evening (Aug. 15), setting a new spaceflight record.",
  "key_points": [
    "SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets 38 minutes apart on Aug. 15, 2026",
    "First rocket delivered eight Globalstar satellites to low Earth orbit",
    "Second rocket carried classified U.S. Space Force USSF-366 mission"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}