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2d ago

Falcon 9 Reaches 500th Flight in Covert Launch of Israel’s Dror 1

Completing its 13th touchdown on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, booster B1083 underpins Israel’s 15-year geostationary communications strategy.

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 on Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Courtesy/SpaceX)
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Overview

  • On July 13, 2025 at 1:04 a.m. EDT, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to deliver Israel Aerospace Industries’ Dror 1 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.
  • The mission marked Falcon 9’s 500th successful flight since its 2010 debut, highlighting the rocket’s reliability and the maturity of its reusable design.
  • Booster B1083 flew its 13th mission and landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, achieving that vessel’s 128th recovery and SpaceX’s 474th booster touchdown overall.
  • Dror 1 is a four-ton satellite built by IAI’s AMOS program, destined for a 36,000 km orbit where it will provide Israel with 15 years of sovereign communications capability.
  • Conducted under an uncommon veil of secrecy for a commercial customer, Commercial GTO-1 was the Space Coast’s 60th orbital launch this year and keeps SpaceX on pace to beat its 2024 launch record.