Misplaced Pages

Falcon 9

Falcon 9 B1058 lifting off from Kennedy LC-39A, carrying Demo-2
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	US$69.75 million (2024)
Size
Height	FT: 69.8 m (229 ft) with Payload Fairing 65.7 m (216 ft) with Crew Dragon 63.7 m (209 ft) with Dragon v1.1: 68.4 m (224 ft) with Payload Fairing 63.4 m (208 ft) with Dragon v1.0: 54.9 m (180 ft) with Payload Fairing 47.8 m (157 ft) with Dragon
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft)
Mass	FT: 549,000 kg (1,210,000 lb) v1.1: 506,000 kg (1,116,000 lb) v1.0: 333,000 kg (734,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination	28.5°
Mass	FT: 22,800 kg (50,300 lb) when expended, 17,500 kg (38,600 lb) when landing on drone ship v1.1: 13,100 kg (28,900 lb) v1.0: 10,400 kg (22,900 lb)
Payload to GTO
Orbital inclination	27.0°
Mass	FT: 8,300 kg (18,300 lb) when expended, 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) when landing on drone ship, 3,500 kg (7,700 lb) when landing at launch site v1.1: 4,800 kg (10,600 lb) v1.0: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)
Payload to Mars
Mass	FT: 4,020 kg (8,860 lb)
Associated rockets
Based on	Falcon 1
Derivative work	Falcon Heavy
Launch history
Status	FT Block 5: Active FT Block 4: Retired FT: Retired v1.1: Retired v1.0: Retired
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40 Kennedy, LC-39A Vandenberg, SLC-4E Vandenberg, SLC-6 (future)
Total launches	414 FT: 394 v1.1: 15 v1.0: 5
Success(es)	411 FT: 393 v1.1: 14 v1.0: 4
Failure(s)	2 (v1.1: CRS-7, FT Block 5: Starlink Group 9-3)
Partial failure(s)	1 (v1.0: CRS-1)
Notable outcome(s)	1 (FT: AMOS-6 pre-flight destruction)
Landings	371 / 381 attempts
First flight	FT Block 5: 11 May 2018 (Bangabandhu-1) FT Block 4: 14 August 2017 (CRS-12) FT: 22 December 2015 (OG2 Flight 2) v1.1: 29 September 2013 (CASSIOPE) v1.0: 4 June 2010 (Dragon Qualification)
Last flight	FT Block 4: 29 June 2018 (CRS-15) FT: 22 February 2018 (Paz/Tintin) v1.1: 17 January 2016 (Jason-3) v1.0: 1 March 2013 (CRS-2)
First stage
Height	39.6 m (130 ft) v1.0 41.2 m (135 ft) v1.1 & FT
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft)
Powered by	FT: 9 × Merlin 1D+ v1.1: 9 × Merlin 1D v1.0: 9 × Merlin 1C
Maximum thrust	FT Block 5: 7,600 kN (1,700,000 lbf) FT: 6,800 kN (1,500,000 lbf) v1.1: 5,900 kN (1,300,000 lbf) v1.0: 4,900 kN (1,100,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	v1.1 SL: 282 s (2.77 km/s) v1.1 vac: 311 s (3.05 km/s) v1.0 SL: 275 s (2.70 km/s) v1.0 vac: 304 s (2.98 km/s)
Burn time	FT: 162 seconds v1.1: 180 seconds v1.0: 170 seconds
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
Second stage
Height	2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) v1.0 13.6 m (45 ft) v1.1 and FT short nozzle 13.8 m (45 ft) FT
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft)
Powered by	FT: 1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum v1.1: 1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum v1.0: 1 × Merlin 1C Vacuum
Maximum thrust	FT regular: 934 kN (210,000 lbf) FT short: 840 kN (190,000 lbf) v1.1: 801 kN (180,000 lbf) v1.0: 617 kN (139,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	FT: 348 s (3.41 km/s) v1.1: 340 s (3.3 km/s) v1.0: 342 s (3.35 km/s)
Burn time	FT: 397 seconds v1.1: 375 seconds v1.0: 345 seconds
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
[edit on Wikidata]

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on 4 June 2010, and the first commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 8 October 2012. In 2020, it became the first commercial rocket to launch humans to orbit. The Falcon 9 has an exceptional safety record, with 411 successful launches, two in-flight failures, one partial failure and one pre-flight destruction. It is the most-launched American orbital rocket in history.

The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payload to a predetermined speed and altitude, after which the second stage accelerates the payload to its target orbit. The booster is capable of landing vertically to facilitate reuse. This feat was first achieved on flight 20 in December 2015. As of 17 December 2024, SpaceX has successfully landed Falcon 9 boosters 371 times. Individual boosters have flown as many as 24 flights. Both stages are powered by SpaceX Merlin engines, using cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.

The heaviest payloads flown to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) were Intelsat 35e carrying 6,761 kg (14,905 lb), and Telstar 19V with 7,075 kg (15,598 lb). The former was launched into an advantageous super-synchronous transfer orbit, while the latter went into a lower-energy GTO, with an apogee well below the geostationary altitude. On 24 January 2021, Falcon 9 set a record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket, carrying 143 into orbit.

Falcon 9 is human-rated for transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS, certified for the National Security Space Launch program and the NASA Launch Services Program lists it as a "Category 3" (Low Risk) launch vehicle allowing it to launch the agency's most expensive, important, and complex missions.

Several versions of Falcon 9 have been built and flown: v1.0 flew from 2010 to 2013, v1.1 flew from 2013 to 2016, while v1.2 Full Thrust first launched in 2015, encompassing the Block 5 variant, which has been in operation since May 2018.

Development history

Conception and funding

In October 2005, SpaceX announced plans to launch Falcon 9 in the first half of 2007. The initial launch would not occur until 2010.

SpaceX spent its own capital to develop and fly its previous launcher, Falcon 1, with no pre-arranged sales of launch services. SpaceX developed Falcon 9 with private capital as well, but did have pre-arranged commitments by NASA to purchase several operational flights once specific capabilities were demonstrated. Milestone-specific payments were provided under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program in 2006. The NASA contract was structured as a Space Act Agreement (SAA) "to develop and demonstrate commercial orbital transportation service", including the purchase of three demonstration flights. The overall contract award was US$278 million to provide three demonstration launches of Falcon 9 with the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Additional milestones were added later, raising the total contract value to US$396 million.

In 2008, SpaceX won a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to deliver cargo to ISS using Falcon 9/Dragon. Funds would be disbursed only after the demonstration missions were successfully and thoroughly completed. The contract totaled US$1.6 billion for a minimum of 12 missions to ferry supplies to and from the ISS.

In 2011, SpaceX estimated that Falcon 9 v1.0 development costs were approximately US$300 million. NASA estimated development costs of US$3.6 billion had a traditional cost-plus contract approach been used. A 2011 NASA report "estimated that it would have cost the agency about US$4 billion to develop a rocket like the Falcon 9 booster based upon NASA's traditional contracting processes" while "a more commercial development" approach might have allowed the agency to pay only US$1.7 billion".

In 2014, SpaceX released combined development costs for Falcon 9 and Dragon. NASA provided US$396 million, while SpaceX provided over US$450 million.

Congressional testimony by SpaceX in 2017 suggested that the unusual NASA process of "setting only a high-level requirement for cargo transport to the space station leaving the details to industry" had allowed SpaceX to complete the task at a substantially lower cost. "According to NASA's own independently verified numbers, SpaceX's development costs of both the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets were estimated at approximately $390 million in total."

Development

SpaceX originally intended to follow its Falcon 1 launch vehicle with an intermediate capacity vehicle, Falcon 5. The Falcon line of vehicles are named after the Millennium Falcon, a fictional starship from the Star Wars film series. In 2005, SpaceX announced that it was instead proceeding with Falcon 9, a "fully reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle", and had already secured a government customer. Falcon 9 was described as capable of launching approximately 9,500 kilograms (20,900 lb) to low Earth orbit and was projected to be priced at US$27 million per flight with a 3.7 m (12 ft) payload fairing and US$35 million with a 5.2 m (17 ft) fairing. SpaceX also announced a heavy version of Falcon 9 with a payload capacity of approximately 25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb). Falcon 9 was intended to support LEO and GTO missions, as well as crew and cargo missions to the ISS.

Testing

The original NASA COTS contract called for the first demonstration flight in September 2008, and the completion of all three demonstration missions by September 2009. In February 2008, the date slipped into the first quarter of 2009. According to Musk, complexity and Cape Canaveral regulatory requirements contributed to the delay.

The first multi-engine test (two engines firing simultaneously, connected to the first stage) was completed in January 2008. Successive tests led to a 178-second (mission length), nine engine test-fire in November 2008. In October 2009, the first flight-ready all-engine test fire was at its test facility in McGregor, Texas. In November, SpaceX conducted the initial second stage test firing, lasting forty seconds. In January 2010, a 329-second (mission length) orbit-insertion firing of the second stage was conducted at McGregor.

The elements of the stack arrived at the launch site for integration at the beginning of February, 2010. The flight stack went vertical at Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral, and in March, SpaceX performed a static fire test, where the first stage was fired without launch. The test was aborted at T−2 due to a failure in the high-pressure helium pump. All systems up to the abort performed as expected, and no additional issues needed addressing. A subsequent test on 13 March fired the first-stage engines for 3.5 seconds.

Production

In December 2010, the SpaceX production line manufactured a Falcon 9 (and Dragon spacecraft) every three months. By September 2013, SpaceX's total manufacturing space had increased to nearly 93,000 m (1,000,000 sq ft), in order to support a production capacity of 40 rocket cores annually. The factory was producing one Falcon 9 per month as of November 2013.

By February 2016 the production rate for Falcon 9 cores had increased to 18 per year, and the number of first stage cores that could be assembled at one time reached six.

Since 2018, SpaceX has routinely reused first stages, reducing the demand for new cores. In 2023, SpaceX performed 91 launches of Falcon 9 with only 4 using new boosters and successfully recovered the booster on all flights. The Hawthorne factory continues to produce one (expendable) second stage for each launch.

Launch history

Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 425 times over 15 years, resulting in 422 full successes (99.29%), two in-flight failures (SpaceX CRS-7 and Starlink Group 9–3), and one partial success (SpaceX CRS-1, which delivered its cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but a secondary payload was stranded in a lower-than-planned orbit). Additionally, one rocket and its payload (AMOS-6) were destroyed before launch in preparation for an on-pad static fire test. The active version of the rocket, the Falcon 9 Block 5, has flown 357 times successfully and failed once, resulting in the 99.72% success rate.

In 2022, the Falcon 9 set a new record with 60 successful launches by the same launch vehicle type in a calendar year. This surpassed the previous record held by Soyuz-U, which had 47 launches (45 successful) in 1979. In 2023, the Falcon family of rockets (including the Falcon Heavy) had 96 successful launches, surpassing the 63 launches (61 successful) of the R-7 rocket family in 1980.

The Falcon 9 has evolved through several versions: v1.0 was launched five times from 2010 to 2013, v1.1 launched 15 times from 2013 to 2016, Full Thrust launched 36 times from 2015 to 2015. The most recent version, Block 5, was introduced in May 2018. With each iteration, the Falcon 9 has become more powerful and capable of vertical landing. As vertical landings became more commonplace, SpaceX focused on streamlining the refurbishment process for boosters, making it faster and more cost-effective.

The Falcon Heavy derivative is a heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 first-stage boosters. The central core is reinforced, while the side boosters feature aerodynamic nosecone instead of the usual interstage.

Falcon 9 first-stage boosters landed successfully in 386 of 398 attempts (97%), with 361 out of 366 (98.6%) for the Falcon 9 Block 5 version. A total of 360 re-flights of first stage boosters have all successfully launched their second stages and, all but one, their payloads.

Rocket configurations

•   Falcon 9 v1.0
•   Falcon 9 v1.1
•   Falcon 9 Full Thrust
•   Falcon 9 FT (reused)
•   Falcon 9 Block 5
•   Falcon 9 Block 5 (reused)
•   Falcon Heavy

Launch sites

•   Cape Canaveral, SLC-40
•   Kennedy, LC-39A
•   Vandenberg, SLC-4E

Launch outcomes

•   Loss before launch
•   Loss during flight
•   Partial failure
•   Success (commercial and government)
•   Success (Starlink)
•   Planned (commercial and government)
•   Planned (Starlink)

Booster landings

•   Ground-pad failure
•   Drone-ship failure
•   Ocean test failure
•   Parachute test failure
•   Ground-pad success
•   Drone-ship success
•   Ocean test success
•   No attempt

Notable flights and payloads

This section may require cleanup to meet Misplaced Pages's quality standards. The specific problem is: Many flights/payloads do not seem especially notable. Please help improve this section if you can. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Flight 1, Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit — 4 June 2010, first flight of Falcon 9 and first test of Dragon,
• Flight 3, Dragon C2+ — first cargo delivery to the International Space Station,
• Flight 4, CRS-1 — first operational cargo mission to the ISS, and the first demonstration of the rocket's engine-out capability due to the failure of a first-stage Merlin engine,
• Flight 6, CASSIOPE — first v1.1 rocket, first launch from Vandenberg AFB, first attempt at propulsive return of the first stage,
• Flight 7, SES-8 — first launch to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), first non-governmental payload,
• Flight 9, CRS-3 — added landing legs, first fully controlled descent and vertical ocean touchdown,
• Flight 15, Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) — first mission injecting spacecraft into Sun–Earth L₁ point,
• Flight 19, CRS-7 — total loss of mission due to structural failure and helium overpressure in the second stage,
• Flight 20, Orbcomm OG-2 — first vertical landing of an orbital-class rocket booster,
• Flight 23, CRS-8 — first landing vertically achieved on an autonomous spaceport drone ship at sea,
• AMOS-6 — total vehicle and payload loss prior to static fire test (would have been Flight 29),
• Flight 30, CRS-10 — first launch from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center,
• Flight 32, SES-10 — first reflight of a previously flown orbital class booster (B1021, previously used for SpaceX CRS-8), first recovery of a fairing,
• Flight 41, X-37B OTV-5 — first launch of a spaceplane,
• Flight 54 Bangabandhu-1 — first flight of the Block 5 version,
• Flight 58 Telstar 19V — heaviest communications satellite delivered to GEO, at the time,
• Flight 69 Crew Dragon Demo-1 — first launch of the Crew Dragon (did not carry astronauts),
• Flight 72, RADARSAT Constellation — most valuable commercial payload put into orbit,
• Flight 81 — Starlink launch, was a successful flight, but had the first recovery failure of a previously flown and recovered booster,
• Flight 83 — successful Starlink launch, saw the first failure of a Merlin 1D first-stage engine during ascent, and the second ascent engine failure on the rocket following CRS-1 on flight 4,
• Flight 85, Crew Dragon Demo-2 — first crewed launch of the Crew Dragon, carrying two astronauts,
• Flight 98, Crew-1 — first crewed operational launch of the Crew Dragon, holding the record for the longest spaceflight by a US crew vehicle,
• Flight 101, CRS-21 — first launch of the Cargo Dragon 2, an uncrewed variant of the Crew Dragon,
• Flight 106, Transporter-1 — first dedicated smallsat rideshare launch arranged by SpaceX, set the record of the most satellites launched on a single launch with 143 satellites, surpassing the previous record of 108 satellites held by the November 17, 2018 launch of an Antares,
• Flight 108 — routine Starlink launch which experienced early shut-down of a first-stage Merlin 1D engine during ascent due to damage, but still delivered the payload to the target orbit,
• Flight 126, Inspiration4 — first orbital spaceflight of an all-private crew,
• Flight 129, DART — first planetary defense mission against near-Earth objects,
• Flight 134, CRS-24 — 100th successful vertical landing of an orbital-class rocket, on the sixth anniversary of the first landing in 2015,
• Flight 232 — 200th overall successful booster landing,
• Flight 236 — first launch with a fairing half flying for the tenth time,
• Flight 300 — 200th consecutive successful vertical landing for the orbital class Falcon booster,
• Flight 323 — B1062 becomes the first Falcon 9 booster to fly and land 20 times; this was preceded by certification of boosters to fly that often, double the initial goal,
• Flight 328 — 300th consecutive successful Falcon 9 mission.
• Flight 354 — Starlink Group 9–3 — Second stage failed to relight, Starlink satellites deployed into lower orbit than planned. This resulted in loss of all 20 Starlink satellites.

Notable payloads

• AMOS-17
• Bangabandhu Satellite-1
• Beresheet lunar lander
• Boeing X-37
• Crew and Cargo Dragon
• Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
• EchoStar 23
• Euclid
• GPS IIIA launches
• Iridium NEXT constellation
• Launches for the US National Reconnaissance Office, NROL
• Odysseus IM-1
• Orbcomm OG2
• RADARSAT Constellation
• SES-10
• Sirius XM launches
• SpaceX Starlink
• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
• Zuma

Design

F9 is a two-stage, LOX/RP-1-powered launch vehicle.

Specifications

First stage

Second stage

Engine

Both stages are equipped with Merlin 1D rocket engines. Every Merlin engine produces 854 kN (192,000 lb_f) of thrust. They use a pyrophoric mixture of triethylaluminum-triethylborane (TEA-TEB) as an engine igniter.

The booster stage has 9 engines, arranged in a configuration that SpaceX calls Octaweb. The second stage of the Falcon 9 has 1 short or regular nozzle, Merlin 1D Vacuum engine version.

Falcon 9 is capable of losing up to 2 engines and still complete the mission by burning the remaining engines longer.

Each Merlin rocket engine is controlled by three voting computers, each having 2 CPUs which constantly check the other 2 in the trio. The Merlin 1D engines can vector thrust to adjust trajectory.

Tanks

The propellant tank walls and domes are made from an aluminum–lithium alloy. SpaceX uses an all friction-stir welded tank, for its strength and reliability. The second stage tank is a shorter version of the first stage tank. It uses most of the same tooling, material, and manufacturing techniques.

The F9 interstage, which connects the upper and lower stages, is a carbon-fibre aluminium-core composite structure that holds reusable separation collets and a pneumatic pusher system. The original stage separation system had twelve attachment points, reduced to three for v1.1.

Fairing

Falcon 9 uses a payload fairing (nose cone) to protect (non-Dragon) satellites during launch. The fairing is 13 m (43 ft) long, 5.2 m (17 ft) in diameter, weighs approximately 1900 kg, and is constructed of carbon fiber skin overlaid on an aluminum honeycomb core. SpaceX designed and fabricates fairings in Hawthorne. Testing was completed at NASA's Plum Brook Station facility in spring 2013 where the acoustic shock and mechanical vibration of launch, plus electromagnetic static discharge conditions, were simulated on a full-size test article in a vacuum chamber. Since 2019, fairings are designed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and are reused for future missions.

Control systems

SpaceX uses multiple redundant flight computers in a fault-tolerant design. The software runs on Linux and is written in C++. For flexibility, commercial off-the-shelf parts and system-wide radiation-tolerant design are used instead of rad-hardened parts. Each stage has stage-level flight computers, in addition to the Merlin-specific engine controllers, of the same fault-tolerant triad design to handle stage control functions. Each engine microcontroller CPU runs on a PowerPC architecture.

Legs/fins

Boosters that will be deliberately expended do not have legs or fins. Recoverable boosters include four extensible landing legs attached around the base.

To control the core's descent through the atmosphere, SpaceX uses grid fins that deploy from the vehicle moments after stage separation. Initially, the V1.2 Full Thrust version of the Falcon 9 were equipped with grid fins made from aluminum, which were eventually replaced by larger, more aerodynamically efficient, and durable titanium fins. The upgraded titanium grid fins, cast and cut from a single piece of titanium, offer significantly better maneuverability and survivability from the extreme heat of re-entry than aluminum grid fins and can be reused indefinitely with minimal refurbishment.

Versions

The Falcon 9 has seen five major revisions: v1.0, v1.1, Full Thrust (also called Block 3 or v1.2), Block 4, and Block 5.

V1.0 flew five successful orbital launches from 2010 to 2013. The much larger V1.1 made its first flight in September 2013. The demonstration mission carried a small 500 kg (1,100 lb) primary payload, the CASSIOPE satellite. Larger payloads followed, starting with the launch of the SES-8 GEO communications satellite. Both v1.0 and v1.1 used expendable launch vehicles (ELVs). The Falcon 9 Full Thrust made its first flight in December 2015. The first stage of the Full Thrust version was reusable. The current version, known as Falcon 9 Block 5, made its first flight in May 2018.

V1.0

F9 v1.0 was an expendable launch vehicle developed from 2005 to 2010. It flew for the first time in 2010. V1.0 made five flights, after which it was retired. The first stage was powered by nine Merlin 1C engines arranged in a 3 × 3 grid. Each had a sea-level thrust of 556 kN (125,000 lb_f) for a total liftoff thrust of about 5,000 kN (1,100,000 lb_f). The second stage was powered by a single Merlin 1C engine modified for vacuum operation, with an expansion ratio of 117:1 and a nominal burn time of 345 seconds. Gaseous N₂ thrusters were used on the second-stage as a reaction control system (RCS).

Early attempts to add a lightweight thermal protection system to the booster stage and parachute recovery were not successful.

In 2011, SpaceX began a formal development program for a reusable Falcon 9, initially focusing on the first stage.

V1.1

V1.1 is 60% heavier with 60% more thrust than v1.0. Its nine (more powerful) Merlin 1D engines were rearranged into an "octagonal" pattern that SpaceX called Octaweb. This is designed to simplify and streamline manufacturing. The fuel tanks were 60% longer, making the rocket more susceptible to bending during flight.

The v1.1 first stage offered a total sea-level thrust at liftoff of 5,885 kN (1,323,000 lb_f), with the engines burning for a nominal 180 seconds. The stage's thrust rose to 6,672 kN (1,500,000 lb_f) as the booster climbed out of the atmosphere.

The stage separation system was redesigned to reduce the number of attachment points from twelve to three, and the vehicle had upgraded avionics and software.

These improvements increased the payload capability from 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) to 13,150 kg (28,990 lb). SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stated the v1.1 had about 30% more payload capacity than published on its price list, with the extra margin reserved for returning stages via powered re-entry.

Development testing of the first stage was completed in July 2013, and it first flew in September 2013.

The second stage igniter propellant lines were later insulated to better support in-space restart following long coast phases for orbital trajectory maneuvers. Four extensible carbon fiber/aluminum honeycomb landing legs were included on later flights where landings were attempted.

SpaceX pricing and payload specifications published for v1.1 as of March 2014 included about 30% more performance than the published price list indicated; SpaceX reserved the additional performance to perform reusability testing. Many engineering changes to support reusability and recovery of the first stage were made for v1.1.

Full Thrust

The Full Thrust upgrade (also known as FT, v1.2 or Block 3), made major changes. It added cryogenic propellant cooling to increase density allowing 17% higher thrust, improved the stage separation system, stretched the second stage to hold additional propellant, and strengthened struts for holding helium bottles believed to have been involved with the failure of flight 19. It offered a reusable first stage. Plans to reuse the second-stage were abandoned as the weight of a heat shield and other equipment would reduce payload too much. The reusable booster was developed using systems and software tested on the Falcon 9 prototypes.

The Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) replaced the ground-based mission flight control personnel and equipment. AFSS offered on-board Positioning, Navigation and Timing sources and decision logic. The benefits of AFSS included increased public safety, reduced reliance on range infrastructure, reduced range spacelift cost, increased schedule predictability and availability, operational flexibility, and launch slot flexibility".

FT's capacity allowed SpaceX to choose between increasing payload, decreasing launch price, or both.

Its first successful landing came in December 2015 and the first reflight in March 2017. In February 2017, CRS-10 launch was the first operational launch utilizing AFSS. All SpaceX launches after 16 March used AFSS. A 25 June mission carried the second batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites, for which the aluminum grid fins were replaced by larger titanium versions, to improve control authority, and heat tolerance during re-entry.

Block 4

In 2017, SpaceX started including incremental changes to the Full Thrust, internally dubbed Block 4. Initially, only the second stage was modified to Block 4 standards, flying on top of a Block 3 first stage for three missions: NROL-76 and Inmarsat-5 F5 in May 2017, and Intelsat 35e in July 2017. Block 4 was described as a transition between the Full Thrust v1.2 Block 3 and Block 5. It includes incremental engine thrust upgrades leading to Block 5. The maiden flight of the full Block 4 design (first and second stages) was the SpaceX CRS-12 mission on 14 August.

Block 5

In October 2016, Musk described Block 5 as coming with "a lot of minor refinements that collectively are important, but uprated thrust and improved legs are the most significant". In January 2017, Musk added that Block 5 "significantly improves performance and ease of reusability". The maiden flight took place on 11 May 2018, with the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 satellite.

Capabilities

Performance

Reliability

As of 17 December 2024, Falcon 9 had achieved 411 out of 414 full mission successes (99.3%). SpaceX CRS-1 succeeded in its primary mission, but left a secondary payload in a wrong orbit, while SpaceX CRS-7 was destroyed in flight. In addition, AMOS-6 disintegrated on the launch pad during fueling for an engine test. Block 5 has a success rate of 99.7% (357/358). For comparison, the industry benchmark Soyuz series has performed 1880 launches with a success rate of 95.1% (the latest Soyuz-2's success rate is 94%), the Russian Proton series has performed 425 launches with a success rate of 88.7% (the latest Proton-M's success rate is 90.1%), the European Ariane 5 has performed 117 launches with a success rate of 95.7%, and Chinese Long March 3B has performed 85 launches with a success rate of 95.3%.

F9's launch sequence includes a hold-down feature that allows full engine ignition and systems check before liftoff. After the first-stage engine starts, the launcher is held down and not released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating normally. Similar hold-down systems have been used on launch vehicles such as Saturn V and Space Shuttle. An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occur if any abnormal conditions are detected. Prior to the launch date, SpaceX sometimes completes a test cycle, culminating in a three-and-a-half second first stage engine static firing.

F9 has triple-redundant flight computers and inertial navigation, with a GPS overlay for additional accuracy.

Engine-out capability

Like the Saturn family of rockets, multiple engines allow for mission completion even if one fails. Detailed descriptions of destructive engine failure modes and designed-in engine-out capabilities were made public.

SpaceX emphasized that the first stage is designed for "engine-out" capability. CRS-1 in October 2012 was a partial success after engine number 1 lost pressure at 79 seconds, and then shut down. To compensate for the resulting loss of acceleration, the first stage had to burn 28 seconds longer than planned, and the second stage had to burn an extra 15 seconds. That extra burn time reduced fuel reserves so that the likelihood that there was sufficient fuel to execute the mission dropped from 99% to 95%. Because NASA had purchased the launch and therefore contractually controlled several mission decision points, NASA declined SpaceX's request to restart the second stage and attempt to deliver the secondary payload into the correct orbit. As a result, the secondary payload reentered the atmosphere.

Merlin 1D engines have suffered two premature shutdowns on ascent. Neither has affected the primary mission, but both landing attempts failed. On an 18 March 2020 Starlink mission, one of the first stage engines failed 3 seconds before cut-off due to the ignition of some isopropyl alcohol that was not properly purged after cleaning. On another Starlink mission on 15 February 2021, hot exhaust gasses entered an engine due to a fatigue-related hole in its cover. SpaceX stated the failed cover had the "highest... number of flights that this particular boot design had seen."

Reusability

SpaceX planned from the beginning to make both stages reusable. The first stages of early Falcon flights were equipped with parachutes and were covered with a layer of ablative cork to allow them to survive atmospheric re-entry. These were defeated by the accompanying aerodynamic stress and heating. The stages were salt-water corrosion-resistant.

In late 2011, SpaceX eliminated parachutes in favor of powered descent. The design was complete by February 2012.

Powered landings were first flight-tested with the suborbital Grasshopper rocket. Between 2012 and 2013, this low-altitude, low-speed demonstration test vehicle made eight vertical landings, including a 79-second round-trip flight to an altitude of 744 m (2,441 ft). In March 2013, SpaceX announced that as of the first v1.1 flight, every booster would be equipped for powered descent.

Post-mission flight tests and landing attempts

For Flight 6 in September 2013, after stage separation, the flight plan called for the first stage to conduct a burn to reduce its reentry velocity, and then a second burn just before reaching the water. Although not a complete success, the stage was able to change direction and make a controlled entry into the atmosphere. During the final landing burn, the RCS thrusters could not overcome an aerodynamically induced spin. The centrifugal force deprived the engine of fuel, leading to early engine shutdown and a hard splashdown.

After four more ocean landing tests, the CRS-5 booster attempted a landing on the ASDS floating platform in January 2015. The rocket incorporated (for the first time in an orbital mission) grid fin aerodynamic control surfaces, and successfully guided itself to the ship, before running out of hydraulic fluid and crashing into the platform. A second attempt occurred in April 2015, on CRS-6. After the launch, the bipropellant valve became stuck, preventing the control system from reacting rapidly enough for a successful landing.

The first attempt to land a booster on a ground pad near the launch site occurred on flight 20, in December 2015. The landing was successful and the booster was recovered. This was the first time in history that after launching an orbital mission, a first stage achieved a controlled vertical landing. The first successful booster landing on an ASDS occurred in April 2016 on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You during CRS-8.

Sixteen test flights were conducted from 2013 to 2016, six of which achieved a soft landing and booster recovery. Since January 2017, with the exceptions of the centre core from the Falcon Heavy test flight, Falcon Heavy USAF STP-2 mission, the Falcon 9 CRS-16 resupply mission and the Starlink-4, 5, and 19 missions, every landing attempt has been successful. Two boosters have been lost or destroyed at sea after landing: the center core used during the Arabsat-6A mission, and B1058 after completing a Starlink flight.

Relaunch

The first operational relaunch of a previously flown booster was accomplished in March 2017 with B1021 on the SES-10 mission after CRS-8 in April 2016. After landing a second time, it was retired. In June 2017, booster B1029 helped carry BulgariaSat-1 towards GTO after an Iridium NEXT LEO mission in January 2017, again achieving reuse and landing of a recovered booster. The third reuse flight came in November 2018 on the SSO-A mission. The core for the mission, Falcon 9 B1046, was the first Block 5 booster produced, and had flown initially on the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 mission.

In May 2021 the first booster reached 10 missions. Musk indicated that SpaceX intends to fly boosters until they see a failure in Starlink missions. As of 17 December 2024, the record is 24 flights by the same booster.

Recovery of fairings

SpaceX developed payload fairings equipped with a steerable parachute as well as RCS thrusters that can be recovered and reused. A payload fairing half was recovered following a soft-landing in the ocean for the first time in March 2017, following SES-10. Subsequently, development began on a ship-based system involving a massive net, in order to catch returning fairings. Two dedicated ships were outfitted for this role, making their first catches in 2019. However, following mixed success, SpaceX returned to water landings and wet recovery.

Recovery of second stages

Despite public statements that they would endeavor to make the second-stage reusable as well, by late 2014, SpaceX determined that the mass needed for a heat shield, landing engines, and other equipment to support recovery of the second stage was prohibitive, and abandoned second-stage reusability efforts.

Launch sites

The Falcon 9 launches from three orbital launch sites: Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida (operational since 2007), Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California (operational since 2013), and Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (operational since 2017).

SpaceX has designated specific roles for each launch site based on mission profiles. SLC-40 serves as the company’s high-volume launch pad for missions to medium-inclination orbits (28.5–55°). SLC-4E is optimized for launches to highly inclined polar orbits (66–145°). LC-39A is primarily reserved for complex missions, such as Crew Dragon or Falcon Heavy launches. However, in 2024, SLC-40 was upgraded to accommodate Crew Dragon launches as a backup to LC-39A.

On April 21, 2023, the United States Space Force granted SpaceX permission to lease Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6). This will become SpaceX’s fourth orbital launch site, providing a second pad for highly inclined polar orbit launches and enabling Falcon Heavy launches from the West Coast.

Pricing

At the time of the Falcon 9's maiden flight in 2010, the advertised price for commercial satellite launches using the v1.0 version was $49.9–56 million. Over the years, the price increased, keeping pace with inflation. By 2012, it rose to $54–59.5 million, followed by $56.5 million for the v1.1 version in 2013, $61.2 million in 2014, $62 million for the Full Thrust version in 2016, and $69.75 million for the Block 5 version in 2024.

Government contracts typically involve higher prices, determined through competitive bidding processes. For instance, Dragon cargo missions to the ISS cost $133 million under a fixed-price contract with NASA, which included the spacecraft's use. Similarly, the 2013 DSCOVR mission for NOAA, launched aboard a Falcon 9, cost $97 million. As of 2020, U.S. Air Force launches using the Falcon 9 cost $95 million due to added security requirements. Because of the higher prices charged to government customers, in 2020, Roscosmos administrator Dmitry Rogozin accused SpaceX of price dumping.

The declining costs of Falcon 9 launches prompted competitors to develop lower-cost launch vehicles. Arianespace introduced the Ariane 6, ULA developed the Vulcan Centaur, and Roscosmos focused on the Proton-M. ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated that in their estimates, each booster would need to fly ten times to break even on the additional costs of designing and operating reusable rockets. Musk countered, asserting that Falcon 9's recovery and refurbishment costs were under 10%, achieving breakeven after just two flights and yielding substantial savings by the third.

As of 2024, SpaceX's internal costs for a Falcon 9 launch are estimated between $15 million and $28 million, factoring in workforce expenses, refurbishment, assembly, operations, and facility depreciation. These efficiencies are primarily due to the reuse of first-stage boosters and payload fairings. The second stage on its own has been stated by SpaceX's COO to be $12 million.

Rideshare payload programs

SpaceX provides two rideshare programs, regularly scheduled Falcon 9 flights for small satellite deployment: Transporter and Bandwagon. The Transporter program started in 2021 and specializes in delivering payloads to sun-synchronous orbits, primarily serving Earth observation missions, with flights typically operating every four months. The Bandwagon program started in 2024, offers access to mid-inclination orbits of approximately 45 degrees, with flights typically operating every six months. Unlike traditional secondary payload arrangements, these programs do not rely on a primary mission. Instead, SpaceX provides a unique "cake topper" option for larger satellites between 500 and 2,500 kilograms (1,100 and 5,500 lb).

SpaceX also offers more traditional rideshares where small satellites piggyback on the launch of a large primary payload. In the past, the company has offered clients the option to mount payloads using the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring, the same interstage adapter first used for launching secondary payloads on US DoD missions that use the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV) Atlas V and Delta IV.

Even though the Falcon 9 is a medium-lift launch vehicle, through these programs, SpaceX has become the leading provider of rideshare launches. Given the company's frequent launch cadence and low prices, operators of small-lift launch vehicles have found it difficult to compete.

Public display of Falcon 9 vehicles

SpaceX first put a Falcon 9 (B1019) on public display at their headquarters in Hawthorne, California, in 2016.

In 2019, SpaceX donated a Falcon 9 (B1035) to Space Center Houston, in Houston, Texas. It was a booster that flew two missions, "the 11th and 13th supply missions to the International Space Station the first Falcon 9 rocket NASA agreed to fly a second time".

In 2021, SpaceX donated a Falcon Heavy side booster (B1023) to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

In 2023, a Falcon 9 (B1021) has been put on public display outside Dish Network's headquarters in Littleton, Colorado.

Influence on space industry

The Russian space agency has launched the development of Soyuz-7 which shares many similarities with Falcon 9, including a reusable first stage that will land vertically with the help of legs. The first launch is planned for 2028-2030.

China's Beijing Tianbing Technology company is developing Tianlong-3, which is benchmarked against Falcon 9. In 2024, China’s central government designated commercial space as a key industry for support, with the reusable medium-lift launchers being necessary to deploy China’s planned low Earth orbit communications megaconstellations.

See also

• Comparison of orbital launch systems
• List of Falcon 9 first-stage boosters
• SpaceX launch vehicles

Notes

1. If launched in expendable configuration, Falcon 9 has a theoretical payload capability of a heavy-lift launch vehicle
2. Landing success details at List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
3. Upper stage uses a different version of the engine, Merlin Vacuum, which is much larger due to nozzle extension, and cannot work at sea level
4. There was also an on-pad explosion; sometimes it is counted as a launch, resulting in 64 launches.
5. Controlled descent; ocean touchdown control failed; no recovery
6. Passive reentry failed before parachute deployment
7. Controlled descent; soft vertical ocean touchdown; no recovery
8. Jupiter 3/EchoStar XXIV has a larger mass, when comparing both initial mass (~9,200 kg vs. 7,076 kg) and dry mass (5,817 kg vs. 3,031 kg)
9. The first dedicated smallsat rideshare launch was flight 64, SSO-A: SmallSat Express, arranged by Spaceflight, Inc. (a division Spaceflight Industries at the time). It carried two SHERPA dispencers and nothing else.
10. The Falcon 9 v1.0 only launched the Dragon spacecraft; it was never launched with the clam-shell payload fairing.
11. Payload was restricted to 10,886 kg (24,000 lb) due to structural limit of the payload adapter fitting (PAF).
12. Heaviest explicitly confirmed payload has been 17,400 kg.
13. On SpaceX CRS-1, the primary payload, Dragon, was successful. A secondary payload was placed in an incorrect orbit because of a changed flight profile due to the malfunction and shut-down of a single first-stage engine. Likely enough fuel and oxidizer remained on the second stage for orbital insertion, but not enough to be within NASA safety margins for the protection of the International Space Station.
14. The only failed mission of the Falcon 9 v1.1 was SpaceX CRS-7, which was lost during its first stage operation due to an overpressure event in the second stage oxygen tank.
15. One rocket and payload were destroyed before launch, during preparation for a routine static fire test.

References

1. ^ "Capabilities & Services" (PDF). SpaceX. 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
2. ^ "Falcon 9 (2015)". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
3. ^ "Falcon 9 (2013)". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
4. ^ "Falcon 9 Overview (2010)". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
5. "Due to continued design improvements, this Falcon 9 carried its highest ever payload of 17.5 tons of useful load to a useful orbit". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
6. Clark, Stephen (17 December 2018). "Air Force requirements will keep SpaceX from landing Falcon 9 booster after GPS launch". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
7. Seemangal, Robin (4 May 2018). "SpaceX Test-Fires New Falcon 9 Block 5 Rocket Ahead of Maiden Flight (Updated)". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
8. ^ Graham, William (21 December 2015). "SpaceX returns to flight with OG2, nails historic core return". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015. The launch also marked the first flight of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust, internally known only as the "Upgraded Falcon 9"
9. Graham, Will (29 September 2013). "SpaceX successfully launches debut Falcon 9 v1.1". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
10. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Detailed Mission Data – Falcon-9 ELV First Flight Demonstration". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
11. "Falcon 9 (2016)". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
12. ^ "Falcon 9". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
13. "SpaceX Falcon 9 Upper Stage Engine Successfully Completes Full Mission Duration Firing" (Press release). SpaceNews. 10 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
14. Amos, Jonathan (8 October 2012). "SpaceX lifts off with ISS cargo". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
15. "NASA and SpaceX launch astronauts into new era of private spaceflight". 30 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
16. Berger, Eric (3 February 2022). "The Falcon 9 may now be the safest rocket ever launched". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
17. "The Download: Falcon 9's future, and Big Tech's climate goals". 18 July 2024. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
18. "SpaceX rocket failure highlights need for multiple launch options: 'Falcon 9 is not invulnerable'". 25 July 2024. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
19. "SpaceX launches Falcon 9 first-stage booster on record-breaking 19th flight". Spaceflight Now. 23 December 2023. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
20. Malik, Tariq (19 January 2017). "These SpaceX Rocket Landing Photos Are Simply Jaw-Dropping". Space.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
21. Thomas, Rachael L. "SpaceX's rockets and spacecraft have really cool names. But what do they mean?". Florida Today. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
22. Todd, David (6 July 2017). "Intelsat 35e is launched into advantageous super-synchronous transfer orbit by Falcon 9". Seradata. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
23. Kyle, Ed (23 July 2018). "2018 Space Launch Report". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018. 07/22/18 Falcon 9 v1.2 F9-59 Telstar 19V 7.075 CC 40 GTO-.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
24. Wattles, Jackie (24 January 2021). "SpaceX launches 143 satellites on one rocket in record-setting mission". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
25. Kucinski, William. "All four NSSL launch vehicle developers say they'll be ready in 2021". Sae Mobilus. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
26. Wall, Mike (9 November 2018). "SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket Certified to Launch NASA's Most Precious Science Missions". Space.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
27. "SpaceX reveals Falcon 1 Halloween date". NASASpaceflight. 10 October 2005. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
28. Administration, National Aeronautics and Space (2014). Commercial Orbital Transportation Services: A New Era in Spaceflight. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-092392-0. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
29. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: David J. Frankel (26 April 2010). "Minutes of the NAC Commercial Space Committee" (PDF). NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
30. ^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "COTS 2006 Demo Competition". NASA. 18 January 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
31. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)". NASA. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
32. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Statement of William H. Gerstenmaier Associate Administrator for Space Operations before the Committee on Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives. 26 May 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
33. ^ SpaceX (15 December 2010). "SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully re-enters from orbit" (Press release). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
34. Money, Stewart (12 March 2012). "Competition and the future of the EELV program (part 2)". The Space Review. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014. "The government is the necessary anchor tenant for commercial cargo, but it's not sufficient to build a new economic ecosystem", says Scott Hubbard, an aeronautics researcher at Stanford University in California and former director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
35. SpaceX (23 December 2008). "NASA selects SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster and Dragon spacecraft for cargo resupply" (Press release). Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
36. "The Facts About SpaceX Costs". spacex.com. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013.
37. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle NAFCOM Cost Estimates" (PDF). nasa.gov. August 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
38. ^ "SpaceX goes there—seeks government funds for deep space". Ars Technica. 13 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017.
39. Shotwell, Gwynne (4 June 2014). Discussion with Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX. Atlantic Council. Event occurs at 12:20–13:10. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2014. "NASA ultimately gave us about $396 million; SpaceX put in over $450 million ... EELV-class launch vehicle ... as well as a capsule".
40. ^ David, Leonard (9 September 2005). "SpaceX tackles reusable heavy launch vehicle". MSNBC. NBC News. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
41. Malik, Tariq (4 May 2019). "It's Star Wars Day and SpaceX Just Launched Its Own 'Falcon' Into Space". Space.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
42. "SpaceX Announces the Falcon 9 Fully Reusable Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle" (Press release). SpaceX. 8 September 2005. Archived from the original on 15 August 2008.
43. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Space Act Agreement between NASA and Space Exploration Technologies, Inc., for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Demonstration" (PDF). NASA. 30 May 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
44. Coppinger, Rob (27 February 2008). "SpaceX Falcon 9 maiden flight delayed by six months to late Q1 2009". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
45. "SpaceX Conducts First Multi-Engine Firing of Falcon 9 Rocket" (Press release). SpaceX. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
46. "SpaceX successfully conducts full mission-length firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle" (Press release). SpaceX. 23 November 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
47. "Merlin Vacuum Engine Test". Youtube. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
48. "SpaceX announces Falcon 9 assembly underway at the Cap". Orlando Sentinel. 11 February 2010. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
49. "Updates". SpaceX. 25 February 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
50. Kremer, Ken (13 March 2010). "Successful Engine Test Firing for SpaceX Inaugural Falcon 9". Universe Today. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
51. Denise Chow (8 December 2010). "Q & A with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Master of Private Space Dragons". Space.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
52. "Production at SpaceX". SpaceX. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
53. Svitak, Amy (10 March 2014). "SpaceX Says Falcon 9 To Compete For EELV This Year". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014. Within a year, we need to get it from where it is right now, which is about a rocket core every four weeks, to a rocket core every two weeks... By the end of 2015, says SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell, the company plans to ratchet up production to 40 cores per year.
54. Foust, Jeff (4 February 2016). "SpaceX seeks to accelerate Falcon 9 production and launch rates this year". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
55. Musk, Elon (20 October 2022). "Congrats to @SpaceX team on 48th launch this year! Falcon 9 now holds record for most launches of a single vehicle type in a year" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via Twitter.
56. Will Robinson-Smith (13 January 2024). "SpaceX launches Falcon 9 launch following Saturday night scrub". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
57. "SpaceX debuts new model of the Falcon 9 rocket designed for astronauts". Spaceflightnow.com. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
58. Baylor, Michael (17 May 2018). "With Block 5, SpaceX to increase launch cadence and lower prices". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
59. Foust, Jeff (29 September 2017). "Musk unveils revised version of giant interplanetary launch system". SpaceNews. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
60. Grush, Loren (30 March 2017). "SpaceX makes aerospace history with successful launch and landing of a used rocket". The Verge. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
61. ^ Lopatto, Elizabeth (30 March 2017). "SpaceX even landed the nose cone from its historic used Falcon 9 rocket launch". The Verge. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
62. "SpaceX Falcon 9 sets new record with Telstar 19V launch from SLC-40". nasaspaceflight.com. 21 July 2018. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
63. Krebs, Gunter D. "Jupiter 3 / EchoStar 24". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
64. Ralph, Eric (13 June 2019). "SpaceX Falcon 9 bids temporary goodbye to West Coast in launch and landing photos". Teslarati. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
65. Ralph, Eric (12 June 2019). "SpaceX's Falcon 9 sticks foggy booster recovery at California landing zone". Teslarati. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
66. "Launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 with RADARSAT Constellation". Spacetv. 12 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
67. Romera, Alejandro Alcantarilla (23 June 2023). "SpaceX record-breaking first half of 2023 following Starlink launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
68. Pearlman, Robert (13 April 2024). "SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on record 20th reflight of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage". space.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
69. Wall, Mike (12 July 2024). "SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket suffers failure during Starlink satellite launch". Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
70. "Falcon User's Guide" (PDF). SpaceX. April 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
71. Mission Status Center, June 2, 2010, 19:05 UTC Archived 30 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine, SpaceflightNow, accessed 2010-06-02, Quotation: "The flanges will link the rocket with ground storage tanks containing liquid oxygen, kerosene fuel, helium, gaserous nitrogen and the first stage ignitor source called triethylaluminum-triethylborane, better known as TEA-TAB".
72. "Octaweb". SpaceX News. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
73. ^ Klotz, Irene (6 September 2013). "Musk Says SpaceX Being "Extremely Paranoid" as It Readies for Falcon 9's California Debut". Space News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
74. "Falcon Payload User's Guide, 2021" (PDF). SpaceX. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
75. "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Information". Spaceflight101. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
76. Mangels, John (25 May 2013). "NASA's Plum Brook Station tests rocket fairing for SpaceX". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
77. ^ Svitak, Amy (18 November 2012). "Dragon's "Radiation-Tolerant" Design". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
78. "Schedule". Archived from the original on 25 February 2015.
79. "Landing Legs". SpaceX News. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2013. The Falcon Heavy first stage center core and boosters each carry landing legs, which will land each core safely on Earth after takeoff.
80. Kremer, Ken (27 January 2015). "Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch and Booster Recovery Featured in Cool New SpaceX Animation". Universe Today. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
81. ^ Simberg, Rand (8 February 2012). "Elon Musk on SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Plans". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
82. ^ @elonmusk (25 June 2017). "Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins. Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via Twitter.
83. @elonmusk (26 June 2017). "New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected. Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via Twitter.
84. @elonmusk (9 December 2018). "As far as we know, it's the largest single piece titanium casting in the world. Major improvement over the old aluminum grid fins, as the titanium doesn't need heat shielding or even paint" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via Twitter.
85. Forrester, Chris (2016). Beyond Frontiers. Broadgate Publications. p. 12.
86. "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide, 2009" (PDF). SpaceX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
87. ^ "Musk ambition: SpaceX aim for fully reusable Falcon 9". NASAspaceflight.com. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2013. "With Falcon I's fourth launch, the first stage got cooked, so we're going to beef up the Thermal Protection System (TPS). By flight six we think it's highly likely we'll recover the first stage, and when we get it back we'll see what survived through re-entry, and what got fried, and carry on with the process. That's just to make the first stage reusable, it'll be even harder with the second stage – that has got to have a full heatshield, it'll have to have deorbit propulsion and communication".
88. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. February 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
89. Clark, Stephen (18 May 2012). "Q&A with SpaceX founder and chief designer Elon Musk". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
90. "Octaweb". SpaceX. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
91. "Falcon 9's commercial promise to be tested in 2013". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
92. de Selding, Peter (27 March 2014). "SpaceX Says Requirements, Not Markup, Make Government Missions More Costly". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
93. Leone, Dan (16 July 2013). "SpaceX Test-fires Upgraded Falcon 9 Core for Three Minutes". Space News. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
94. Bergin, Chris (20 June 2013). "Reducing risk via ground testing is a recipe for SpaceX success". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
95. Svitak, Amy (24 November 2013). "Musk: Falcon 9 Will Capture Market Share". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013. SpaceX is currently producing one vehicle per month, but that number is expected to increase to '18 per year in the next couple of quarters'. By the end of 2014, she says SpaceX will produce 24 launch vehicles per year.
96. "Landing Legs". SpaceX. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
97. ^ Lindsey, Clark (28 March 2013). "SpaceX moving quickly towards fly-back first stage". NewSpace Watch. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
98. Messier, Doug (28 March 2013). "Dragon Post-Mission Press Conference Notes". Parabolic Arc. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
99. Shotwell, Gwynne (3 February 2016). Gwynne Shotwell comments at Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Commercial Spaceflight. Event occurs at 2:43:15–3:10:05. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
100. ^ "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide, Rev. 2.0" (PDF). 21 October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
101. Foust, Jeff (15 December 2015). "SpaceX Preparing for Launch of "Significantly Improved" Falcon 9". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
102. ^ Ananian, C. Scott (24 October 2014). Elon Musk MIT Interview. Event occurs at 14:20. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via YouTube.
103. "45th SW supports successful Falcon 9 EchoStar XXIII launch". 45th Space Wing. 16 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
104. Gwynne Shotwell (21 March 2014). Broadcast 2212: Special Edition, interview with Gwynne Shotwell (audio file). The Space Show. Event occurs at 08:15–11:20. 2212. Archived from the original (mp3) on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
105. Grush, Loren (21 December 2015). "SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket after launching it to space". The Verge. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
106. Dean, James (31 March 2017). "Reusable Falcon 9 rocket a triumph for SpaceX, Elon Musk". USA Today. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
107. Henry, Caleb (29 June 2017). "SpaceX's Final Falcon 9 Design Coming This Year, 2 Falcon Heavy Launches in 2018". Space.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
108. "SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.2 Data Sheet". Space Launch Report. 14 August 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
109. Gebhardt, Chris (16 August 2017). "Home Forums L2 Sign Up ISS Commercial Shuttle SLS/Orion Russian European Chinese Unmanned Other Falcon 9 Block 4 debut a success, Dragon arrives for Station berthing". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
110. Graham, William (14 August 2017). "SpaceX Falcon 9 launches CRS-12 Dragon mission to the ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
111. Boyle, Alan (23 October 2016). "SpaceX's Elon Musk geeks out over Mars interplanetary transport plan on Reddit". GeekWire. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
112. Berger, Eric (22 January 2017). "SpaceX may be about to launch its final expendable rocket". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
113. Cooper, Ben (25 April 2018). "Rocket Launch Viewing Guide for Cape Canaveral". launchphotography.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
114. Clark, Stephen (24 April 2018). "SpaceX set to debut Falcon 9 rocket upgrades with launch next week". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
115. Kyle, Ed. "SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.2 Data Sheet". spacelaunchreport.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
116. "Fiche Technique: Falcon-9" [Technical data sheet: Falcon 9]. Espace & Exploration (in French). No. 39. May 2017. pp. 36–37. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
117. ^ Foust, Jeff (31 August 2015). "SpaceX To Debut Upgraded Falcon 9 on Return to Flight Mission". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
118. ^ "Space Launch report, SpaceX Falcon Data Sheet". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
119. "Falcon 9 v1.0 Launch Vehicle". SpaceFlight101. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
120. "Falcon 9 v1.1 & F9R Launch Vehicle Overview". SpaceFlight101. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
121. SpaceX (11 May 2018). "Bangabandhu Satellite-1 Mission". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019 – via YouTube.
122. "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide" (PDF). 21 October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
123. @spacex (26 January 2023). "Falcon 9 launches to orbit 56 Starlink satellites—weighing in total more than 17.4 metric tons—marking the heaviest payload ever flown on Falcon" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 January 2023 – via Twitter.
124. Bergin, Chris (8 February 2016). "SpaceX prepares for SES-9 mission and Dragon's return". NASA Spaceflight. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2016. The aforementioned Second Stage will be tasked with a busy role during this mission, lofting the 5300 kg SES-9 spacecraft to its Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
125. Opall-Rome, Barbara (12 October 2015). "IAI Develops Small, Electric-Powered COMSAT". DefenseNews. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2015. At 5.3 tons, AMOS-6 is the largest communications satellite ever built by IAI. Scheduled for launch in early 2016 from Cape Canaveral aboard a Space-X Falcon 9 launcher, AMOS-6 will replace AMOS-2, which is nearing the end of its 16-year life.
126. Krebs, Gunter. "Telkom-4". Gunter's Space Page. Gunter. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
127. Clark, Stephen (11 October 2012). "Orbcomm craft falls to Earth, company claims total loss". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
128. "Liste de tous les lancements Soyouz". kosmonavtika.com. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021.
129. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Estimating the Reliability of a Soyuz Spacecraft Mission" (PDF). NASA. January 2010. Figure 2: Historical Rocket Launch Data (Soyuz Rocket Family). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
130. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Hold-Down Arms and Tail Service Masts". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
131. Clark, Stephen (20 December 2014). "Falcon 9 completes full-duration static fire". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015. SpaceX conducts the static fire test — that typically ends with a 3.5-second engine firing — before every launch to wring out issues with the rocket and ground systems. The exercise also helps engineers rehearse for the real launch day.
132. Clark, Stephen. "Starlink satellite deployments continue with successful Falcon 9 launch". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
133. Michael Belfiore (1 September 2009). "Behind the Scenes With the World's Most Ambitious Rocket Makers". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
134. "Updates: December 2007". Updates Archive. SpaceX. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2012. "Once we have all nine engines and the stage working well as a system, we will extensively test the "engine out" capability. This includes explosive and fire testing of the barriers that separate the engines from each other and from the vehicle. ... It should be said that the failure modes we've seen to date on the test stand for the Merlin 1C are all relatively benign – the turbo pump, combustion chamber and nozzle do not rupture explosively even when subjected to extreme circumstances. We have seen the gas generator (that drives the turbo pump assembly) blow apart during a start sequence (there are no checks in place to prevent that from happening), but it is a small device, unlikely to cause major damage to its own engine, let alone the neighbouring ones. Even so, as with engine nacelles on commercial jets, the fire/explosive barriers will assume that the entire chamber blows apart in the worst possible way. The bottom close-out panels are designed to direct any force or flame downward, away from neighbouring engines and the stage itself. ... we've found that the Falcon 9's ability to withstand one or even multiple engine failures, just as commercial airliners do, and still complete its mission is a compelling selling point with customers. Apart from the Space Shuttle and Soyuz, none of the existing launch vehicles can afford to lose even a single thrust chamber without causing loss of mission".
135. de Selding, Peter B. (15 October 2012). "Orbcomm Craft Launched by Falcon 9 Falls out of Orbit". Space News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2012. Orbcomm requested that SpaceX carry one of their small satellites (weighing a few hundred pounds, versus Dragon at over 12,000 pounds)... The higher the orbit, the more test data can gather, so they requested that we attempt to restart and raise altitude. NASA agreed to allow that, but only on condition that there be substantial propellant reserves, since the orbit would be close to the International Space Station. It is important to appreciate that Orbcomm understood from the beginning that the orbit-raising maneuver was tentative. They accepted that there was a high risk of their satellite remaining at the Dragon insertion orbit...
136. "SpaceX engine issue on last Starlink mission caused by cleaning fluid according to Elon Musk". 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
137. Clark, Stephen. "Component fatigue caused early shutdown of Merlin engine on last SpaceX launch – Spaceflight Now". Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
138. Bergin, Chris (1 March 2021). "Falcon 9 B1059.6 landing failure update. A Merlin engine boot (a life leader) developed a hole and sent hot gas to 'where it wasn't supposed to be' and shut down during first stage flight. Not enough thrust for landing" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 January 2023 – via Twitter.
139. ^ Lindsey, Clark S. "Interview* with Elon Musk". HobbySpace. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
140. "Elon Musk says SpaceX will attempt to develop fully reusable space launch vehicle". The Washington Post. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Both of the rocket's stages would return to the launch site and touch down vertically, under rocket power, on landing gear after delivering a spacecraft to orbit.
141. Wall, Mike (30 September 2011). "SpaceX Unveils Plan for World's First Fully Reusable Rocket". SPACE.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
142. Boyle, Alan (24 December 2012). "SpaceX launches its Grasshopper rocket on 12-story-high hop in Texas". MSNBC Cosmic Log. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
143. ^ Graham, William (29 September 2013). "SpaceX successfully launches debut Falcon 9 v1.1". NASAspaceflight. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
144. Clark, Stephen (10 January 2015). "Dragon successfully launched, rocket recovery demo crash lands". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
145. Norris, Guy (16 April 2015). "SpaceX Checks Throttle Valve After Flawed Falcon 9 Recovery Attempt". Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
146. Wall, Mike (21 December 2015). "Wow! SpaceX Lands Orbital Rocket Successfully in Historic First". Space.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
147. @SpaceX (22 December 2015). "The Falcon 9 first stage landing is confirmed. Second stage continuing nominally" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 May 2016 – via Twitter.
148. Foust, Jeff (16 February 2021). "SpaceX launches Starlink satellites, but booster landing fails". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
149. Atkinson, Ian (18 March 2020). "SpaceX successfully launches sixth Starlink launch despite engine issue". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
150. "Falcon Heavy core booster tips over in rough seas after drone ship landing – Spaceflight Now". Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
151. "Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 booster topples over and is lost at sea – Spaceflight Now". Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
152. Clark, Stephen (18 February 2017). "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
153. Payer, Markus (30 March 2017). "SES-10 launched successfully on SpaceX's flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket" (Press release). SES S.A. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
154. Leahy, Bart (4 April 2017). "Twice-launched Falcon 9 first stage returned to Port Canaveral". SpaceFlight Insider. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
155. Clark, Stephen (5 May 2017). "Bulgaria's first communications satellite to ride SpaceX's second reused rocket". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
156. "Prelaunch Preview: SpaceX | Spaceflight SSO-A". Everyday Astronaut. 11 November 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
157. "SpaceX to resume Starlink flights, stretching reused Falcon rockets to their limits". spaceflightnow.com. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
158. "SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites in record 10th liftoff (and landing) of reused rocket". space.com. 9 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
159. Ralph, Eric (25 June 2019). "SpaceX successfully catches first Falcon Heavy fairing in Mr. Steven's/Ms. Tree's net". Teslarati.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
160. Berger, Eric (9 April 2021). "Rocket Report: SpaceX abandons catching fairings..." Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
161. Borogove, Russell (31 July 2015). "reuse – How does SpaceX plan to achieve reusability of the Falcon 9 *second* stage?". StackExchange. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
162. Gebhardt, Chris (12 April 2017). "Falcon Heavy build up begins; SLC-40 pad rebuild progressing well". NASASpaceFlight. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
163. Simburg, Rand (16 June 2010). "SpaceX Press Conference". Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.. Musk quote: "We will never give up! Never! Reusability is one of the most important goals. If we become the biggest launch company in the world, making money hand over fist, but we're still not reusable, I will consider us to have failed".
164. "SpaceX Poised to Launch from Historic Pad 39A". Smithsonian Air & Space. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
165. Clark, Stephen (20 March 2024). "SpaceX's workhorse launch pad now has the accoutrements for astronauts". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
166. "SPACE LAUNCH DELTA 30 TO LEASE SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 6 TO SPACE X". Vandenberg Space Force Base. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
167. "Falcon 9 Overview (2012)". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
168. "Capabilities & Services (2013)". SpaceX. 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2013.
169. "Capabilities & Services (2014)". SpaceX. 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014.
170. "Capabilities & Services (2016)". SpaceX. 24 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
171. "Capabilities & Services" (PDF). SpaceX. January 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
172. "Why the US can beat China: the facts about SpaceX costs". 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013.
173. "SpaceX books first two launches with U.S. military". 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
174. Sheetz, Michael (16 April 2020). "Elon Musk touts low cost to insure SpaceX rockets as edge over competitors". CNBC. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
175. "Russia will cut space launch prices by 30 percent in response to SpaceX predatory pricing". Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
176. Ralph, Eric (14 March 2018). "SpaceX to fly reused rockets on half of all 2018 launches as competition lags far behind". teslarati.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
177. @thesheetztweetz (17 April 2020). "ULA CEO Tory Bruno's view on the economics of reusing rockets by propulsive flyback" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2020 – via Twitter.
178. ^ "SpaceX: Elon Musk breaks down the costs of reusable rockets". Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
179. Berger, Eric (2 December 2024). "Falcon 9 reaches a flight rate 30 times higher than shuttle at 1/100th the cost". Ars Technica. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
180. Lionnet, Pierre (7 June 2024). "SpaceX and the categorical imperative to achieve low launch cost". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
181. Berger, Eric (26 June 2024). "Some European launch officials still have their heads stuck in the sand". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
182. "Fireside Chat with SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell". 6 August 2024.
183. ^ Foust, Jeff (10 August 2023). "SpaceX to offer mid-inclination smallsat rideshare launches". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
184. Foust, Jeff (8 April 2024). "SpaceX launches first mid-inclination dedicated rideshare mission". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
185. ^ Foust, Jeff (16 August 2024). "SpaceX launches Transporter-11 smallsat rideshare mission". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
186. Foust, Jeff (22 August 2011). "New opportunities for smallsat launches". The Space Review. Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011. SpaceX ... developed prices for flying those secondary payloads ... A P-POD would cost between $200,000 and $325,000 for missions to LEO, or $350,000 to $575,000 for missions to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). An ESPA-class satellite weighing up to 180 kilograms would cost $4–5 million for LEO missions and $7–9 million for GTO missions, he said.
187. "SpaceX puts historic flown rocket on permanent display". Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
188. Berger, Eric (10 May 2019). "Old Falcon 9 rockets done firing their engines will now inflame imaginations". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019.
189. "SpaceX Falcon 9 booster exhibit – Now open". Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
190. Locke, Jared (2 October 2021). "[Update: New arrival footage] SpaceX Falcon Heavy Booster arrives at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for permanent display". Space Explored. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023.
191. Edwards, Jon (30 October 2023). "2021" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 December 2023 – via Twitter.
192. Lynn, Nate (28 October 2023). "SpaceX rocket escorted through Colorado". KUSA-TV. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
193. "Роскосмос в погоне за SpaceX: сможем ли догнать Маска?".
194. "Первый пуск метановой ракеты "Амур" планируется в 2028-2030 годах". Tacc.
195. ^ "China's Space Pioneer pushes towards launch despite static-fire debacle". 31 July 2024.

External links

• Falcon 9 official page
• SAOCOM 1B | Launch and Landing
• Test firing of two Merlin 1C engines connected to Falcon 9 first stage, Movie 1, Movie 2 (18 January 2008)
• Press release announcing design (9 September 2005)
• SpaceX hopes to supply ISS with new Falcon 9 heavy launcher (Flight International, 13 September 2005)
• SpaceX launches Falcon 9, With A Customer Archived 11 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine (Defense Industry Daily, 15 September 2005)

v t e SpaceX Dragon 1 and Dragon 2
CCP COTS CRS
Spacecraft	C100 C106 C108 C201 DragonFly C204 C205 C206 Endeavour C207 Resilience C208 C209 C210 Endurance C211 C212 Freedom C213
Hardware	Falcon 9 1.0 1.1 v1.2 Full Thrust Block 5 Draco SuperDraco
Missions	Demo flights Dragon test flight COTS-1 COTS-2 Pad Abort Test Demo-1 In-Flight Abort Test Demo-2 ISS logistics CRS-1 CRS-2 CRS-3 CRS-4 CRS-5 CRS-6 CRS-7† CRS-8 CRS-9 CRS-10 CRS-11 CRS-12 CRS-13 CRS-14 CRS-15 CRS-16 CRS-17 CRS-18 CRS-19 CRS-20 CRS-21 CRS-22 CRS-23 CRS-24 CRS-25 CRS-26 CRS-27 CRS-28 CRS-29 CRS-30 CRS-31 CRS-32 Crewed missions Demo-2 Crew-1 Crew-2 Inspiration4 Crew-3 Axiom-1 Crew-4 Crew-5 Crew-6 Axiom-2 Crew-7 Axiom-3 Crew-8 Polaris Dawn Crew-9 Fram2 Crew-10 Axiom-4 Polaris-2 Vast-1
Ongoing spaceflights in underline Italics indicates future missions Symbol † indicates failed missions

v t e SpaceX
History
Launch vehicles	Current Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters Falcon Heavy In development Starship Super Heavy booster upper stage lunar lander Retired Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 "Full Thrust" v1.2 Block 4 Cancelled Falcon 1e* Falcon 5* Falcon 9 Air* BFR and ITS*
Spacecraft	Cargo Dragon 1 Cargo Dragon 2 Cargo Dragon XL* Starship* Crewed Dragon 2 Crew C206 Endeavour C207 Resilience C210 Endurance C212 Freedom Starship*
Test vehicles	Current Starship prototypes first stage booster upper stage Retired Grasshopper F9R Dev1† DragonFly Starhopper Unflown F9R Dev2*
Rocket engines	Merlin 1A 1B* 1C 1D Vacuum Kestrel Draco SuperDraco Raptor 1 2 3 Vacuum
Lists of missions	Falcon 1 Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy 2010–2019 2020–2021 SpaceBEE Starlink launches in the Russo-Ukrainian War Starship
Launch facilities	Orbital CCSFS SLC-40 KSC LC-39A VSFB SLC-4E VSFB SLC-6* Omelek Island† Atmospheric McGregor New Mexico† Starbase Boca Chica
Landing sites	Autonomous spaceport drone ships Landing Zones LZ-1 and LZ-2 LZ-4
Other facilities	Headquarters and factory Hawthorne, California Rocket development and test facility McGregor, Texas Satellite development facility Redmond, Washington Regional offices Chantilly, Houston, Seattle, Washington DC STARGATE
Support	Megan (recovery ship) Shannon (recovery ship) SpaceX fairing recovery program
Contracts	Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Commercial Resupply Services Commercial Crew Program Commercial Lunar Payload Services Gateway Logistics Services Human Landing System Polaris Rocket Cargo Starshield
R&D programs	Reusability Falcon 9 landing tests Red Dragon (canceled) Mars transport
Key people	Elon Musk (CEO, CTO) Gwynne Shotwell (President and COO) Tom Mueller (former VP of Propulsion Development)
Related	Blue Origin Federation, LLC v. United States Commercial astronaut Billionaire space race Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space (2021 docuseries) Return to Space (2022)
* denotes unflown vehicles or engines, and future missions or sites. † denotes failed missions, destroyed vehicles, and abandoned sites. Category

• SpaceX launch vehicles
• Partially reusable space launch vehicles
• Vehicles introduced in 2010