SpaceX had 72 launches in 2023 and is expected to break that record this year. A California launch failed, sending Starlink satellites into a lower orbit than intended. The satellites are expected to "fully demise" in the Earth's atmosphere. SpaceX’s entire fleet of Falcon 9 rockets was grounded by the FAA last week after a launch from California “accidentally deployed a batch of Starlink satellites into an eccentric orbit” as a result of a rocket upper-stage failure, according to Florida Today. Why does SpaceX launch so often? Here’s what’s on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets and why they launch so often, when they aren’t grounded. Why does SpaceX send up so many rockets? What’s on the Falcon 9 rockets? Although SpaceX does launch crewed missions, SpaceX more frequently launches rockets loaded with satellites that are carried into the earth’s orbit to support Musk’s Starlink network, which is an internet service provider. There is also the occasional satellite launch for paying customers, and even cargo resupply missions for the International Space Station. Starlink aims to serve people who live in remote areas across the world, who don’t have access to high-speed internet, via its network of thousands of satellites that orbit close to earth in the atmosphere. “The satellite provider offers service on all seven continents and now reaches three million users in 99 countries. Starlink continues to launch new satellites at a rapid pace, concerning some scientists who say the deluge of satellites is interfering with astronomical photos and data collection,” according to EarthSky and USA TODAY. How many rockets will SpaceX launch in 2024? How many of SpaceX’s scheduled launches are actually successful this year depends on weather conditions for each launch and how long the company’s Falcon 9 rockets are grounded. In 2023, SpaceX completed a record-breaking 72 successful launches and is expected to break that record again this year. Is SpaceX under investigation? Yes, the FAA is currently investigating SpaceX for a failed launch from California on Thursday, July 11, grounding all of its Falcon 9 rockets. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base deployed satellites in a much lower than intended orbit after the rocket's upper stage experienced a malfunction. The upper stage (also known as the second stage) is what propels and deploys the satellites into the intended altitude. It is the first stage of the Falcon 9 (the part that boosts upon liftoff) which is known to land on droneships in the ocean or onshore landing areas. It is after separation from that first stage, the second stage vacuum engines ignite and carry the payload to its intended orbit. “Thursday's ill-fated Falcon 9 mission took flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying a payload of 20 Starlink satellites. In a statement on the SpaceX website, company officials said a liquid oxygen leak developed on the upper stage, which only deployed the satellites 135 kilometers above the Earth — less than half the expected perigee altitude,” Florida Today reported. “These satellites will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and ‘fully demise,’ the statement said, and, ‘they do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.’”