The goal next year is 12 launches per month, for a total of 144 Falcon rocket flights. Like this year, most of those missions will be primarily devoted to launching Starlink broadband satellites. So far in 2023, more than 60 percent of SpaceX's launches have delivered the company's own Starlink satellites into orbit. //

Here are some numbers. Last year, SpaceX launched 61 missions. In 2021, the number was 31. In the last 12 months, SpaceX has launched 88 Falcon rockets, plus one test flight of the company's much larger Starship rocket. //

With so many launches planned next year, 20 flights is probably not a stopping point. "We might go a little higher," the SpaceX official said.

Engineers have shortened the time needed to reconfigure SpaceX's busiest launch pad in Florida to less than four days. SpaceX has also improved the turnaround time at its launch pad in California. //

But the big driver is Starlink. SpaceX is rolling out the direct-to-cell capability, which it says will allow Starlink satellites to connect with normal smartphones, initially with texting coverage. That will be available to users beginning in 2024, according to SpaceX, followed by voice and data services in 2025. SpaceX says the Starlink-for-phones service "works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data."