Falcon 1

Falcon 1
Falcon 1 flight 4, the first successful launch of a privately developed, fully liquid-fueled rocket to enter orbit around the Earth.
FunctionSmall-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
Project costUS$90 million
Cost per launchUS$7 million
Size
Height21 m (68 ft 11 in)
Diameter1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Mass28,000 kg (62,000 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination9.0 - 9.35°
Mass
  • Demonstrated (667 km orbit): 180 kg (400 lb)
  • Proposed (185 km orbit): 670 kg (1,480 lb)[1][2]
Payload to SSO
Mass200 kg (440 lb)[3]
Associated rockets
Derivative workFalcon 9 v1.0
Launch history
StatusRetired[4]
Launch sitesOmelek Island
Total launches5
Success(es)2
Failure(s)3
First flight24 March 2006, 22:30 UTC
Last flight14 July 2009, 03:35 UTC
First stage
Powered by1 × Merlin 1A (first 2 flights)
1 × Merlin 1C (final 3 flights)
Maximum thrust450 kN (100,000 lbf)
Specific impulse255 s (2.50 km/s) at sea level
Burn time169 s
PropellantRP-1 / LOX
Second stage
Powered by1 × Kestrel
Maximum thrust31 kN (7,000 lbf)
Specific impulse327 s (3.21 km/s)
Burn time378 s
PropellantRP-1 / LOX

Falcon 1 was a two-stage small-lift launch vehicle that was operated from 2006 to 2009[5] by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. On 28 September 2008, Falcon 1 became the first privately developed fully liquid-fueled launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit.[6]: 203 [7]

The Falcon 1 used LOX/RP-1 for both stages, the first stage powered by a single pump-fed Merlin engine, and the second stage powered by SpaceX's pressure-fed Kestrel vacuum engine.

The vehicle was launched a total of five times. After three failed launch attempts, Falcon 1 achieved orbit on its fourth attempt in September 2008 with a mass simulator as a payload. On 14 July 2009, Falcon 1 made its second successful flight, delivering the Malaysian RazakSAT satellite to orbit on SpaceX's first commercial launch (fifth and final launch overall).

While SpaceX had announced an enhanced variant, the Falcon 1e,[4] following this flight, the Falcon 1 was retired in favor of the Falcon 9 v1.0, the first version of the company’s successful and long-running Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

  1. ^ Highlights in Space 2005: Progress in Space Science, Technology and Applications, International Cooperation and Space Law. International Astronautical Federation, United Nations. Office for Outer Space Affairs, International Institute of Space Law. 2006. p. 11. ISBN 978-9211009897.
  2. ^ "SpaceX Falcon Data Sheet". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Users Guide" (PDF). www.georing.biz. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Falcon 1". Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  5. ^ Engel, Max (1 March 2013). "Launch Market on Cusp of Change". Satellite Today. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013. SpaceX is not the first private company to try to break through the commercial space launch market. The company, however, appears to be the real thing. Privately funded, it had a vehicle before it got money from NASA, and while NASA's space station resupply funds are a tremendous boost, SpaceX would have existed without it.
  6. ^ Vance, Ashlee (2015). Elon Musk : Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-230123-9.
  7. ^ Tariq Malik (29 September 2008). "SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 Rocket Into Orbit". Space.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.

Developed by StudentB