Back Falcon 9 AN فالكون 9 Arabic Falcon 9 Azerbaijani فالکون ۹ AZB Falcon 9 Byelorussian Фалкън-9 Bulgarian ফ্যালকন ৯ Bengali/Bangla Falcon 9 Catalan فاڵکۆن ٩ CKB Falcon 9 Czech

Falcon 9

Falcon 9
Logo of the Falcon 9
Ground-level view of a Falcon 9 lifting off from its launch pad
Falcon 9 B1058 lifting off from Kennedy LC-39A, carrying Demo-2
FunctionMedium-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchUS$69.75 million (2024)[1]
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[2]
  • v1.1: 68.4 m (224 ft) with Payload Fairing 63.4 m (208 ft) with Dragon[3]
  • v1.0: 54.9 m (180 ft) with Payload Fairing 47.8 m (157 ft) with Dragon[4]
Diameter3.7 m (12 ft)[2]
Mass
  • FT: 549,000 kg (1,210,000 lb)[2]
  • v1.1: 506,000 kg (1,116,000 lb)[3]
  • v1.0: 333,000 kg (734,000 lb)[4]
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination28.5°
Mass
  • FT: 22,800 kg (50,300 lb)[1] when expended,
    17,500 kg (38,600 lb)[5] when landing on drone ship
  • v1.1: 13,100 kg (28,900 lb)[3]
  • v1.0: 10,400 kg (22,900 lb)[4]
Payload to GTO
Orbital inclination27.0°
Mass
  • FT: 8,300 kg (18,300 lb) when expended,
    5,500 kg (12,100 lb) when landing on drone ship,[1]
    3,500 kg (7,700 lb) when landing at launch site[6]
  • v1.1: 4,800 kg (10,600 lb)[3]
  • v1.0: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)[4]
Payload to Mars
MassFT: 4,020 kg (8,860 lb)[1]
Associated rockets
Based onFalcon 1
Derivative workFalcon Heavy
Launch history
Status
Launch sites
Total launches
  • 397
    • FT: 377
    • v1.1: 15
    • v1.0: 5
Success(es)
  • 394
    • FT: 376
    • 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)
Landings354 / 364 attempts
First flight
Last flight
First stage
Height39.6 m (130 ft) v1.0 41.2 m (135 ft) v1.1 & FT
Diameter3.7 m (12 ft)
Powered by
Maximum thrust
  • FT Block 5: 7,600 kN (1,700,000 lbf)[11]
  • FT: 6,800 kN (1,500,000 lbf)[2]
  • v1.1: 5,900 kN (1,300,000 lbf)[3]
  • v1.0: 4,900 kN (1,100,000 lbf)[4]
Specific impulse
  • v1.1 SL: 282 s (2.77 km/s)[12]
  • v1.1 vac: 311 s (3.05 km/s)[12]
  • v1.0 SL: 275 s (2.70 km/s)[4]
  • v1.0 vac: 304 s (2.98 km/s)[4]
Burn time
  • FT: 162 seconds[2]
  • v1.1: 180 seconds[3]
  • v1.0: 170 seconds
PropellantLOX / RP-1
Second stage
Height2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) v1.0 13.6 m (45 ft) v1.1 and FT short nozzle 13.8 m (45 ft) FT
Diameter3.7 m (12 ft)
Powered by
Maximum thrust
  • FT regular: 934 kN (210,000 lbf)[2]
  • FT short: 840 kN (190,000 lbf)
  • v1.1: 801 kN (180,000 lbf)[3]
  • v1.0: 617 kN (139,000 lbf)[4]
Specific impulse
  • FT: 348 s (3.41 km/s)[2]
  • v1.1: 340 s (3.3 km/s)[3]
  • v1.0: 342 s (3.35 km/s)[13]
Burn time
  • FT: 397 seconds[2]
  • v1.1: 375 seconds[3]
  • v1.0: 345 seconds[4]
PropellantLOX / RP-1
[edit on Wikidata]

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle[a] 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.[14] In 2020, it became the first commercial rocket to launch humans to orbit.[15] The Falcon 9 has an exceptional safety record,[16][17][18] with 394 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 14 November 2024, SpaceX has successfully landed Falcon 9 boosters 354 times.[b] Individual boosters have flown as many as 23 flights.[19] Both stages are powered by SpaceX Merlin engines,[c] using cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.[20][21]

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,[22] while the latter went into a lower-energy GTO, with an apogee well below the geostationary altitude.[23] On 24 January 2021, Falcon 9 set a record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket, carrying 143 into orbit.[24]

Falcon 9 is human-rated for transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS, certified for the National Security Space Launch program[25] 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.[26]

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.

  1. ^ a b c d "Capabilities & Services" (PDF). SpaceX. 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference falcon9-2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cite error: The named reference falcon9-2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cite error: The named reference falcon9-2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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. ^ Cite error: The named reference MSDB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference falcon9-2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b "Falcon 9". SpaceX. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference SpaceX March 10, 2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

Developed by StudentB