How many times did B1058 fly?

B1058 flew more than 20 successful missions before being lost in transit after its final flight, making it one of the most-reused orbital rocket stages in history.

What was B1058's first mission?

B1058 first flew on the Demo-2 mission, carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley — the first crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

Falcon 9 Booster B1058: The Retrospective on a Legendary First Stage

Falcon 9 booster B1058 is one of the most historically important rockets ever built. It is the booster that launched Demo-2 — the first crewed Dragon mission and the first US human spaceflight from American soil since the Space Shuttle. It then went on to fly more times than any single orbital booster in history before its final flight.

A history of B1058

First flight: Demo-2 (Bob Behnken & Doug Hurley to the ISS)
Notable cargo missions: CRS-21, CRS-23, ANASIS-II, Transporter rideshares
Total flights: 20+ across crew, cargo, Starlink, and rideshare
Final flight: Toppled in heavy seas after a successful landing

Why B1058 mattered

When Falcon 9 first flew, the question was whether reuse could ever be safe and economical. B1058 didn't just answer "yes" — it answered "yes, twenty times over." The booster validated that boosters can fly to orbit, return through hypersonic reentry, land on a drone ship, be inspected, refurbished quickly, and fly again.

What B1058 taught SpaceX

How carbon-fiber fairings and heat-shield composites age across many flights
Engine wear patterns on the Merlins under multiple flight cycles
Refurbishment time and cost per flight
Failure modes from drone-ship recovery in heavy seas

The end of B1058

After a successful reentry and landing on the drone ship, B1058 toppled during transit through severe weather. SpaceX recovered the engines and salvageable hardware. The loss did not erase its legacy — it simply marked the end of an extraordinary career.

What's next for Falcon 9 boosters

B1058's record is being chased by other boosters in the active fleet. SpaceX has steadily increased the certified flight count per booster, with several active boosters approaching or exceeding B1058's flight count. Falcon 9 reuse keeps getting better.