SpaceX launches per year

As SpaceX has launched more rockets, more Americans have been fatally attacked by dogs, a correlation that connects orbital mechanics to canine aggression with the cosmic indifference of a chart that respects neither gravity nor species boundaries. The coefficient is 0.863 across nine years, during which both rockets and dogs became more lethal, and the data drew a line between them that Elon Musk would probably tweet about if he noticed it. The rockets ascend, the dogs attack, and the chart captures both with equal composure.

SpaceX launches grew from about 8 per year in 2015 to over 90 by 2023, driven by Starlink and commercial missions. Fatal dog attacks grew from about 34 to over 50 per year, driven by pandemic dog adoption, larger breed popularity, and inexperienced owners. Both trends accelerated after 2020: SpaceX's cadence increased with demand, and dog attacks surged as the millions of dogs adopted during lockdown encountered the reality of life with families who had never owned a dog before. The shared accelerant is the pandemic, which created both space industry demand and a generation of poorly socialized pets.

Nine years of rockets and dog attacks is a correlation that the pandemic made steeper and the 2020s made absurd. The rockets launch because the internet needs satellites, and the dogs bite because they need training they did not receive. Both trends will moderate as the decade progresses, or they will not, and the chart will continue to not care either way.