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149-497: SpaceX's first launch vehicle, the Falcon 1 , was the first privately developed liquid fueled launch vehicle to be launched into orbit, and used SpaceX's Merlin and Kestrel engines for its first and second stages, respectively. It was launched five times from Omelek Island between 2006 and 2009 – the Falcon 1e and Falcon 5 variants were planned but never developed. The Falcon 9 v1.0 , using upgraded Merlin engines on both its stages,

298-500: A dry mass between 160 t (350,000 lb) and 200 t (440,000 lb), with the tanks weighing 80 t (180,000 lb) and the interstage 20 t (44,000 lb). The propellant tanks on Super Heavy are separated by a common bulkhead, similar to the ones used on the S-II and S-IVB stages on the Saturn V rocket After Starship's second flight test , the common dome's design

447-591: 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 , 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. The Falcon 1 rocket

596-431: A booster occurred on October 13, 2024, using Booster 12. After the first Starship test flight , all boosters have an additional 1.8 m tall vented interstage to enable hot staging . During hot staging, Super Heavy shuts down all but the 3 center engines, while the second stage fires its engines before separating, thus the second stage "pushes off" from the first stage giving added thrust. The vented interstage contains

745-442: A camera installed in the forward dome, enabling images of the interior of the tank. Fuel is fed to the engines via a single downcomer, which terminates in a large distribution manifold above the engines. The design of this manifold was changed when Super Heavy was upgraded from 29 engines to 33, with the more modern design featuring a dedicated methane sump instead of a direct distribution manifold. The oxygen tank terminates with

894-528: A coast period, the second stage restarted and performed a successful second burn, resulting in a final orbit of 621 × 643 km × 9.35°. The rocket followed the same trajectory as the previous flight, which failed to place the Trailblazer , NanoSail-D , PRESat and Celestis Explorers spacecraft into orbit. No major changes were made to the rocket, other than increasing the time between first-stage burnout and second-stage separation. This minor change addressed

1043-435: A dome to shield the top of Super Heavy from the second stage's engines. Elon Musk in 2023 claimed that this change might result in a 10% increase in the payload to low Earth orbit . Beginning with Booster 11, the interstage is jettisoned after completion of the boostback burn, in order to reduce mass during descent. As of June 2024, SpaceX does not intend to jettison the interstage when flying Block 2 and Block 3 boosters, as

1192-543: A factor of thirty. The second test flight was originally scheduled for January 2007, but was delayed because of problems with the second stage. Before the January launch date, SpaceX had stated earlier potential launch dates, moving from September 2006 to November and December. In December the launch was rescheduled for 9 March, but delayed because of range availability issues caused by a Minuteman III test flight, which would re-enter over Kwajalein. The launch attempt on 19 March

1341-443: A final velocity of 5.1 km/s, compared to 7.5 km/s needed for orbit. SpaceX characterized the test flight as a success, having flight-proven over 95% of Falcon 1's systems. Their primary objectives for this launch were to test responsive launch procedures and gather data. The SpaceX team planned both a diagnosis and solution vetted by third-party experts, believing that the slosh issue could be corrected by adding baffles to

1490-453: A fire in the aft section severed connections between its engines and flight computers, resulting in a loss of attitude control and FTS activation. B8 was fully stacked on July 8, 2022. It was moved to the launch site on September 19, 2022, though it was not tested there. Booster 8 was scrapped in January 2023 in favor of Booster 9. Booster 8's hydraulic power units were used to replace Booster 7s, along with several other parts, including

1639-544: A full wet dress rehearsal (WDR) two days later. On November 18, Booster 9 and Ship 25 lifted off with all 33 engines lit at 7:02 am CST. Following the successful separation from S25, B9 was destroyed after several engine failures during the boost-back burn. B10 was fully stacked in March 2023. B10 was moved to Massey's test site for cryogenic testing on July 7, undergoing a cryogenic proof test on July 18. Three additional cryogenic tests were performed in mid September. B10

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1788-537: A greater mass of fuel in the same tank volume. The second stage was also extended for greater fuel tank capacity. These upgrades brought a 33% increase to the previous rocket performance. Five sub-variants have been flown; only Falcon 9 Block 5 is still active. By default the first stage lands and gets reused, although it can be expended to increase the payload capacity. Starship is a two-stage fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by American aerospace company SpaceX . On April 20, 2023, with

1937-448: A high-speed drogue chute and a main chute. For the first two launches, the Falcon 1 used a Merlin 1A engine. An improved version of the Merlin 1A, the Merlin 1B, was supposed to fly on later flights of the Falcon 1, although it was further improved to create the Merlin 1C, which was first flown on the third Falcon 1 flight, and on the first 5 flights of the Falcon 9. The Falcon 1 first stage

2086-472: A larger payload capacity: 13,150 kilograms to low Earth orbit or 4,850 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Grasshopper was an experimental technology-demonstrator, suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV), a vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rocket. The first VTVL flight test vehicle—Grasshopper, built on a Falcon 9 v1.0 first-stage tank—made a total of eight test flights between September 2012 and October 2013. All eight flights were from

2235-404: A larger payload fairing, and was intended to be partially reusable. Its first launch was planned for mid-2011, but the Falcon 1 and Falcon 1e were withdrawn from the market, with SpaceX citing "limited demand," before its debut. Payloads that would have flown on the Falcon 1 were instead to be flown on the Falcon 9 using excess capacity. The Falcon 1e was to be 6.1 m (20 ft) longer than

2384-471: A lower density. The booster was to be designed for 20  g nominal loads, and possibly as high as 30–40  g . In contrast to the landing approach used on SpaceX's Falcon 9 —either a large, flat concrete pad or downrange floating landing platform , the ITS booster was to be designed to land on the launch mount itself, for immediate refueling and relaunch. In September 2017, at the 68th annual meeting of

2533-500: A multi-stage launch vehicle to be developed and built by SpaceX; and a mating and integration system—allowing the carrier aircraft to safely carry and release the booster—to be built by Dynetics, a Huntsville, Alabama -based engineering company. The whole system will be the largest aircraft ever built; with the first test flight of the carrier aircraft originally expected in 2015 from Scaled Composites' facilities in Mojave, California , while

2682-555: A pair of hydraulic actuating arms attached to the launch tower. BN1 was the first Super-Heavy Booster prototype, a pathfinder that was not intended for flight tests. Sections of the ~66 m (217 ft) tall test article were manufactured throughout autumn 2020. Section stacking began in December 2020. BN1 was fully stacked inside the High Bay on March 18, 2021, and was scrapped on March 30, 2021. Booster 3 completed stacking in

2831-501: A potential payload range between 150–200 tons to low Earth orbit for the planned rocket. According to SpaceX engine development head Tom Mueller , SpaceX could use nine Raptor engines on a single MCT booster or spacecraft. The preliminary design would be at least 10 meters (33 ft) in diameter, and was expected to have up to three cores totaling at least 27 booster engines. On September 27, 2016, at 67th International Astronautical Congress , SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced SpaceX

2980-487: A second two days later. After receiving its thirteen inner engines, B7 conducted a series of spin prime and static fire tests throughout August and September, before again returning to the Mega Bay on September 21. After receiving additional upgrades it was lifted on the launch pad on October 8. Ship 24 was stacked on top B7 on October 12, and was removed after completing multiple cryogenic load tests. B7 then completed

3129-474: A single ring, are in a fixed position. In order to save weight, these engines are started using ground support equipment on the launch mount and cannot be reignited for subsequent burns. The inner thirteen engines are attached to an adapter, which rests directly against the thrust puck/aft dome assembly. These engines are equipped with gimbal actuators , and reignite for the boostback and landing burns. After Starship's first flight test , this gimbaling system

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3278-441: A spin prime test of multiple engines on November 12, a 14 engine static fire test on November 14, and finally an 11 engine static fire in an autogenous pressurization test on November 29. In January 2023, Booster 7 and Ship 24 conducted a wet dress rehearsal, before attempting a 33 engine static fire on February 9. On April 20, 2023, Booster 7 was launched on Integrated Flight Test 1 , being destroyed before stage separation after

3427-660: A stance which seems to be in conflict with the market itself." SpaceX launched its first satellite to geostationary orbit in December 2013 ( SES-8 ) and followed that a month later with its second, Thaicom 6 , beginning to offer competition to the European and Russian launch providers that had been the major players in the commercial communications satellite market in recent years. SpaceX prices undercut its major competitors—the Ariane 5 and Proton —in this market. Moreover, SpaceX prices for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are much lower than

3576-504: A successful vertical landing. Grasshopper made its eighth and final test flight on October 7, 2013, flying to an altitude of 744 m (2,441 ft; 0.462 mi) before making its eighth successful vertical landing. The Grasshopper test vehicle is now retired. The Falcon 1e was a proposed upgrade of the SpaceX Falcon 1. The Falcon 1e would have featured a larger first stage with a higher thrust engine, an upgraded second stage engine,

3725-516: A total of 418 seconds. The Falcon 1e planned to use Aluminum Lithium alloy 2195 in the second stage, a change from the 2014 Aluminum used in the Falcon 1 second stages. Falcon 1e launches were intended to occur from Omelek Island , part of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands , and from Cape Canaveral , however SpaceX had announced that they would consider other locations as long as there

3874-522: Is a "business case for establishing the requested launch site". Following a demonstration flight, the Falcon 1e was intended to make a series of launches carrying Orbcomm O2G spacecraft, with a total of eighteen satellites being launched, several per rocket. EADS Astrium had been responsible for marketing the Falcon 1e in Europe. The Falcon 5 was a proposed two-stage-to-orbit partially reusable launch vehicle designed by SpaceX. The first stage of Falcon 5

4023-494: Is a very competitive price compared to ULA prices for government payloads of the same size. ULA prices to the US government are nearly $ 400 million for current launches of Falcon 9- and Falcon Heavy-class payloads. SpaceX had a rare coincidence of four rockets (all types of operational and under-development rockets) on all four of its orbital launch pads and two Dragon 2s (both types of Dragon 2s) on orbit on 10 January 2023. This

4172-458: Is added at this stage, followed by the COPVs and header tank. Following completion of each of the ring stacks, the stacking of these sections begins, beginning with assembly of the methane tank. This process occurs in Mega Bay 1. Once the methane tank is completed, the oxygen tank is assembled, already integrated to the common dome. Before assembly of the oxygen tank is finished, the methane downcomer

4321-505: Is added, along with final stringers to the weld lines. When both tanks are complete, the methane tank is stacked onto the oxygen tank, completing the primary tankage assembly. Chines are added after this stage. The vehicle is then rolled to the Massey's test site , and cryogenically tested two to three times. These tests fill both tanks with liquid nitrogen, which is nonflammable, though liquid oxygen may be loaded as well. After returning to

4470-641: Is an EELV -class vehicle, intended to compete with the Delta IV and the Atlas V , along with launchers of other nations as well. Both stages were designed for reuse. A similarly designed Falcon 5 rocket was also envisioned to fit between the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, but development was dropped to concentrate on the Falcon ;9. The first version of the Falcon 9, Falcon 9 v1.0 , was developed in 2005–2010, and flew five orbital missions in 2010–2013. The second version of

4619-410: Is done to improve control in the pitch axis. Additionally, these fins remain extended during ascent in order to save weight. The interstage also has protruding hardpoints , located between grid fins, allowing the booster to be lifted or caught by the launch tower. The ability to lift a booster from these hardpoints was proven on August 23, 2022, when Booster 7 was lifted onto OLM A. The first catch of

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4768-474: Is made from a special stainless steel alloy that SpaceX has dubbed "30X". The Falcon 1 was a small, planned to be partially reusable rocket capable of placing several hundred kilograms into low earth orbit. It also functioned as a testbed for developing concepts and components for the larger Falcon 9. Initial Falcon 1 flights were launched from the US government's Reagan Test Site on the island atoll of Kwajalein in

4917-436: Is unconfirmed. Booster 5 was the only 29 engine booster to receive a header tank, which was mounted to the side of the oxygen tank. It is unknown whether or not the top of this tank was ever completed, as a forward dome was never spotted. The methane downcomer is partially contained within the header tank, as the methane sump is located directly below it. On Booster 7 and all subsequent vehicles, four chines are located on

5066-706: The International Astronautical Congress , Musk announced a new launch vehicle calling it the BFR, again changing the name, though stating that the name was temporary. The acronym was alternatively stated as standing for Big Falcon Rocket or Big Fucking Rocket, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the BFG from the Doom video game series . The vehicle was designed to be 106 meters (348 ft) tall, 9 meters (30 ft) in diameter, and made of carbon composites . In December 2018,

5215-477: The Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands . Liftoff occurred at 23:15 UTC on 28 September 15 minutes into a 5-hour launch window. If the launch had been scrubbed, it could have been conducted during the same window until 1 October. 9 minutes 31 seconds after launch, the second-stage engine shut down, after the vehicle reached orbit. The initial orbit was reported to be about 330 × 650 km. Following

5364-465: The McGregor, Texas , testing facilities of defunct Beal Aerospace , where it refitted the largest test stand at the facilities for Falcon 9 testing. On 22 November 2008, the stand tested the nine Merlin 1C engines of the Falcon 9, which deliver 770,000 pounds-force (3,400 kN) of thrust, well under the stand's capacity of 3,300,000 pounds-force (15,000 kN). The first Falcon 9 vehicle

5513-612: The McGregor, Texas, test facility . Grasshopper began flight testing in September 2012 with a brief, three-second hop. It was followed by a second hop in November 2012, which consisted of an 8-second flight that took the testbed approximately 5.4 m (18 ft) off the ground. A third flight occurred in December 2012 of 29 seconds duration, with extended hover under rocket engine power, in which it ascended to an altitude of 40 m (130 ft) before descending under rocket power to come to

5662-513: The South Texas coast around 8:25 CDT on March 14, 2024, coincidentally the 22nd anniversary of its founding. Like IFT-2, all 33 engines on the booster ignited and stage separation was successful. B10 conducted a boostback burn , however, the planned landing in the Gulf of Mexico was not successful, as it exploded at 462 m (1,516 ft) above the surface. The fourth integrated flight test of

5811-505: The Starship second stage . As a part of SpaceX's Mars colonization program , the booster evolved into its current design over a decade. Production began in 2021, with the first flight being conducted on April 20, 2023, during the first launch attempt of the Starship rocket. The booster is powered by 33 Raptor engines that use liquid oxygen and methane as propellants. After propelling

5960-524: The Trailblazer (Jumpstart-1) satellite for the US Air Force , the NanoSail-D and PREsat nanosatellites for NASA and a space burial payload for Celestis . The rocket did not reach orbit. However, the first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine, performed perfectly. When preparing for launch, an earlier launch attempt was delayed by the unexpected slow loading of helium onto the Falcon 1; thus exposing

6109-704: The United States Department of Defense under a program that evaluates new US launch vehicles suitable for use by DARPA . As part of a US$ 15 million contract, Falcon 1 was to carry the TacSat-1 in 2005. By late May 2005, SpaceX stated that Falcon 1 was ready to launch TacSat-1 from Vandenberg. But the Air Force did not want the launch of an untested rocket to occur until the final Titan IV flew from nearby SLC 4E. Subsequent and repeated delays due to Falcon 1 launch failures delayed TacSat-1's launch. After TacSat-2

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6258-409: The first Integrated Flight Test , Starship became the most massive, most powerful, and tallest vehicle ever to fly. SpaceX has developed Starship with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale , aiming to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages by "catching" them with the launch tower's systems, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, mass-manufacturing

6407-471: The "dome knuckle" and the "dome frustum". The aft dome has a third component: the "thrust puck", which supports the inner thirteen engines, while the common dome is formed out of a single type of piece, and is more elliptical than the forward and aft domes. These rings are stacked and robotically welded along their edges to form stacks of three to four rings in the Starfactory. Stringers are then added to

6556-579: The COTS Demo Flight 1 to occur the second quarter of 2008; this flight was delayed several times, occurring at 15:43 GMT on 8 December 2010. The rocket successfully deployed an operational Dragon spacecraft at 15:53 GMT. Dragon orbited the Earth twice, and then made a controlled reentry burn that put it on target for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. The first flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1

6705-540: The F9A carrier aircraft was proposed to travel to a launch point up to 2,200 km (1,200 nautical miles) away from the airfield and fly at a launch altitude of 9,100 m (30,000 feet). A month after the initial announcement, Stratolaunch confirmed that the first stage of the F9A launch vehicle would have only four engines, not the five that were shown in the mission video in December, and that they would be SpaceX Merlin 1D engines. As initially announced, Stratolaunch Systems

6854-439: The Falcon 1 and 1e would fly as secondary payloads on the Falcon 9. Historically, the Falcon 1 was originally planned to launch about 600 kilograms (1,300 lb) to low-Earth orbit for US$ 6,000,000 but later declined to approximately 420 kilograms (930 lb) as the price increased to approximately US$ 9,000,000. It was SpaceX's offering intended to open up the smallsat launch market to competition . The final version of

7003-480: The Falcon 1 in order to concentrate company resources on its larger Falcon 9 launch vehicle and other development projects. The first version of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, Falcon 9 v1.0 , was developed in 2005–2010, and was launched for the first time in 2010. Falcon 9 v1.0 made five flights in 2010–2013, when it was retired. On 8 September 2005, SpaceX announced the development of the Falcon 9 rocket, which has nine Merlin engines in its first stage. The design

7152-564: The Falcon 1 was designed to minimize price per launch for low-Earth-orbit satellites , increase reliability, and optimize flight environment and time to launch. It also was used to verify components and structural design concepts that would be reused in the Falcon 9 . SpaceX started with the idea that the smallest useful orbital rocket was the minimum viable product (Falcon 1 with about 450 kg or 990 lb to orbit), instead of building something larger and more complicated, and then running out of money and going bankrupt. The first stage

7301-772: The Falcon 1, 9, and Heavy are named after the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars film series. Falcon Heavy (FH) is a super heavy lift space launch vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX . The Falcon Heavy is a variant of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle comprising three Falcon 9 first stages: a reinforced center core, and two additional side boosters . All three boosters are capable of being recovered and reused, although most flights use unrecoverable stripped-down center cores to increase performance. The side boosters assigned to Falcon Heavy's first flight were recovered from two prior Falcon 9 missions. SpaceX successfully launched

7450-410: The Falcon 1, the Falcon 1e, was projected to provide approximately 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) for US$ 11 million. Several years ago, SpaceX was going to open up the smallsat launch market with the Falcon 1, which originally was to launch about 600 kilograms to LEO for $ 6 million; the payload capacity later declined to about 420 kg (930 lb) as the price increased to around $ 9 million. Later,

7599-578: The Falcon 1, with an overall length of 27.4 m (90 ft), but with the same 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) diameter. Its first stage had a dry mass of 2,580 kg (5,680 lb), and was powered by an upgraded pump-fed Merlin 1C engine burning 39,000 kg (87,000 lb) of RP-1 and liquid oxygen . The first stage burn time was around 169 seconds. The second stage had a dry mass of 540 kg (1,200 lb) and its pressure-fed Kestrel 2 engine burned 4,000 kg (8,900 lb) of propellant. The restartable Kestrel 2 could burn for up to

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7748-519: The Falcon 1e was to provide approximately 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) for $ 11 million, but the company withdrew the vehicle from the market, citing limited demand. All flights were launched from Kwajalein Atoll using the SpaceX launch facility on Omelek Island and range facilities of the Reagan Test Site . Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 3 W was the original launch site for Falcon 1, but it

7897-482: The Falcon 1e. The helium pressurization system pumps propellant to the engine, supplies heated pressurized gas for the attitude control thrusters, and is used for zero- g propellant accumulation prior to engine restart. The Kestrel engine includes a titanium heat exchanger to pass waste heat to the helium, thereby greatly extending its work capacity. The pressure tanks are composite overwrapped pressure vessels made by Arde corporation with inconel alloy and are

8046-407: The Falcon 5. Falcon 9 Air would have been an air-launched multi-stage launch vehicle under development by SpaceX in 2011–2012. Falcon 9 Air was to be carried to launch position and launch altitude by a Stratolaunch Systems carrier aircraft , the world's largest aircraft by wingspan. Payload to low Earth orbit was projected to be 6,100 kg (13,400 pounds). Propulsion for the rocket

8195-482: The Falcon 9 Air, as part of the Stratolaunch project. As initially conceived with the SpaceX Falcon 9 Air (F9A) launch vehicle, Stratolaunch was to initially place satellites of up to 6,100 kg (13,400 pounds) into low Earth orbit; and once established as a reliable system, announced that it would explore a human-rated version. The system can take off from airfields with a minimum 3,700 m (12,100 feet) length, and

8344-495: The Falcon 9 Air. In May 2013, the Falcon 9 Air was eventually replaced in the development plan by the Orbital Sciences Pegasus II air-launched rocket. SpaceX Falcon rockets are being offered to the launch industry at highly competitive prices , allowing SpaceX to build a large manifest of over 50 launches by late 2013, with two-thirds of them for commercial customers exclusive of US government flights. In

8493-564: The Falcon Heavy on February 6, 2018, delivering a payload comprising Musk's personal Tesla Roadster onto a trajectory reaching the orbit of Mars . The "Full Thrust" version of Falcon 9 is an upgraded version of the Falcon 9 v1.1. It was used the first time on 22 December 2015 for the ORBCOMM-2 launch at Cape Canaveral SLC-40 launch pad. The first stage was upgraded with a larger liquid oxygen tank, loaded with subcooled propellants to allow

8642-514: The High Bay on June 29, 2021, and moved to the test stand. A cryogenic proof test was completed on July 13, followed by a static fire test on July 19. BN3/Booster 3 was partially scrapped on August 15, while the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank remained welded to the Test Stand until January 13, 2022. B4 was fully stacked on August 1, with all 29 engines installed on August 2, 2021. Grid fins were added to support atmospheric reentry testing. SN20

8791-486: The Kestrel 2nd-stage engine. The third Falcon 1 flight used a new regenerative cooling system for the first-stage Merlin engine , and the engine development was responsible for the almost 17-month flight delay. The new cooling system turned out to be the major reason the mission failed; because the first stage rammed into the second-stage engine bell at staging , due to excess thrust provided by residual propellant left over from

8940-452: The Mega Bay on March 21 where it was scrapped the following day. Parts for B5 were observed as early as July 19, 2021. Stacking for B5 completed in November, although on December 8, B5 was retired alongside SN15 and SN16 . It was later scrapped. B7 was placed on the orbital launch mount on March 31, 2022, and completed two cryogenic proof tests in April, resulting in the rupturing of

9089-517: The NASA experiments in the payload and the TDRS system. The first launch attempt on 21 March 2007 was aborted at 00:05 GMT at the last second before launch and after the engine had ignited. It was, however, decided that another launch should be made the same day. The rocket successfully left the launch pad at 01:10 GMT on 21 March 2007 with a DemoSat payload for DARPA and NASA . The rocket performed well during

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9238-402: The Pacific Ocean, and represented the first attempt to fly a ground-launched rocket to orbit from that site. On 26 March 2006, the Falcon 1's maiden flight failed only seconds after leaving the pad due to a fuel line rupture. After a year, the second flight was launched on 22 March 2007 and it also ended in failure, due to a spin stabilization problem that automatically caused sensors to turn off

9387-530: The RazakSAT spacecraft and the Falcon 1 launch vehicle. A concern had been identified regarding the potential impact of predicted vehicle environments on the satellite. On 1 June, SpaceX announced that the next launch window would open Monday, 13 July and extend through Tuesday, 14 July, with a daily window to open at 21:00 UTC (09:00 local time ). The launch on Monday, 13 July was successful, placing RazakSAT into its initial parking orbit . Thirty-eight minutes later,

9536-472: The Super Heavy Booster, while four rings are 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) tall. These shorter rings are used exclusively in the aft section. A 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and a 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) tall ring are used to construct the liquid oxygen header tank. These rings have a significantly smaller diameter than the main rings. The forward dome is constructed out of two segments:

9685-587: The Super Heavy booster completed its flip maneuver and initiated the boostback burn before exploding following multiple successive engine failures. Three and a half minutes into the flight at an altitude of ~90 km over the Gulf of Mexico, blockage in a liquid oxygen filter caused one of the engines to fail in a way that resulted in the destruction of the booster. IFT-3 launched from the SpaceX Starbase facility along

9834-411: The US launch industry, SpaceX prices its product offerings well below its competition . Nevertheless, "somewhat incongruously, its primary US competitor, United Launch Alliance (ULA), still maintained (in early 2013) that it requires a large annual subsidy , which neither SpaceX nor Orbital Sciences receives, in order to remain financially viable, with the reason cited as a lack of market opportunity,

9983-442: The booster through the atmosphere for a precise landing. The engine configuration included 21 engines in an outer ring and 14 in an inner ring. The center cluster of seven engines would be able to gimbal for directional control, although some directional control would be achieved via differential thrust with the fixed engines. Each engine would be capable of throttling between 20 and 100 percent of rated thrust. The design goal

10132-409: The bump did not appear to have caused damage, and that the reason why they chose a niobium skirt instead of carbon–carbon was to prevent problematic damage in the event of such incidents. Shortly after second-stage ignition, a stabilization ring detached from the engine bell as designed. At around T+4:20, a circular coning oscillation began, which increased in amplitude until video was lost. At T+5:01,

10281-539: The company first mentioned the Mars Colonial Transporter rocket concept in public. It was to be able to carry 100 people or 100 t (220,000 lb) of cargo to Mars and would be powered by methane-fueled Raptor engines. Musk referred to this new launch vehicle under the unspecified acronym "MCT", revealed to stand for "Mars Colonial Transporter" in 2013, which would serve as part of the company's Mars system architecture . SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell gave

10430-445: The correction. The rocket continued to within one minute of its expected duration and also managed to deploy the satellite mass-simulator ring. While the webcast video ended prematurely, SpaceX was able to retrieve telemetry for the entire flight. The status of the first stage is unknown; it was not recovered because of problems with a nonfunctioning GPS tracking device. The rocket reached a final altitude of 289 km (180 mi) and

10579-476: The downcomer. After being repaired, it was returned to OLM, and completed two cryogenic tests. It was then moved to Mega Bay 1 for engine and grid fin installation. On July 11, after returning to OLM A for engine testing, B7 experienced a detonation underneath the engines during an attempted 33 engine spin prime test. It returned to OLM A on August 4 with only the 20 outer Raptor engines, and completed its first single-engine static fire test on August 9, followed by

10728-425: The engine shielding, which isolates individual engines in the event of a failure, was upgraded after Starship's first flight test, alongside the fire suppression system . This system uses CO 2 tanks to purge the individual engine compartments during flight, as well as a nitrogen purge while on the launch pad. The aft bay has eighteen vents visible on the outside of the booster, which are believed to be connected to

10877-506: The engine shielding. B9 finished stacking in late 2022, and featured upgrades, including electric thrust vector control (ETVC) gimbaling system of the raptor engines, replacing the previous hydraulic power units that were used up to Booster 8. It was moved to the OLS cryogenic station on December 15. Two cryogenic proof tests were conducted on December 21 and December 29, both of which were successful. After engine installation, Booster 9

11026-448: The engines burn for approximately 159 seconds before Super Heavy cuts off all but three of its center gimbaling rocket engines at an altitude of roughly 64 km (40 mi). It throttles down the remaining engines, before Starship ignites its engines while still attached to the booster, and separates. The booster then rotates, before igniting ten additional engines for a "boostback burn" which stops all forward velocity and reverses

11175-434: The engines produces large shock diamonds in the exhaust during the ascent burn. During unpowered flight in the upper atmosphere, control authority is provided by cold gas thrusters fed with residual ullage gas . Four perpendicular vents are located within the interstage, placed at a 45 degree angle from the hardpoints. Additionally, four "cowbell" vents are located just below the common dome, which point down towards

11324-405: The engines, though at a slight angle. The interstage is also equipped with four electrically actuated grid fins made of stainless steel, each with a mass of 3 t (6,600 lb). These grid fins are paired together, with the fins in each pair being 60 degrees apart from each other, differing from the Falcon 9 booster, which has titanium grid fins mounted 90 degrees from each other. This

11473-409: The engines. Large slosh baffles were added in this region as well, beginning on Booster 10. A header tank is used to supply liquid oxygen during the landing burn for the inner thirteen engines. On Booster 15, the header tank has at least nine additional tanks attached, increasing total propellant supply during the landing burn. These tanks may have been present on Boosters 12, 13, and 14, though this

11622-463: The failure seen on the previous flight, recontact between the first and second stages, by dissipating residual thrust in the first-stage engine before separating them. Ratsat and the attached second stage are still in orbit as of 2021. SpaceX announced that it had completed construction of the fifth Falcon 1 rocket and was transporting the vehicle to the Kwajalein Atoll launch complex where it

11771-446: The first privately developed fully liquid-fueled launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit. 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

11920-695: The first cryogenic proof test of a Super Heavy on July 13, followed by the only static fire of a Super Heavy booster at the Suborbital Launch Site on July 19. It was partially scrapped in August, with the process concluding in January of 2022. Booster 4 was the first vehicle intended to fly on Starship's Flight Test 1 . It was the first Super Heavy to be stacked with Starship, and conducted multiple cryogenic tests before being retired in favor of Booster 7 and Ship 24. Booster 7 and Ship 24 conducted several static fire and spin prime tests before launch, with

12069-403: The first privately funded and developed liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit. The fifth launch was its first commercial flight, and placed RazakSAT into low Earth orbit . The maiden flight of the Falcon 1 was postponed several times because of various technical issues with the new vehicle. Scheduling conflicts with a Titan IV launch at Vandenberg AFB also caused delays and resulted in

12218-495: The first stage engine (Merlin) is ignited and throttled to full power while the launcher is restrained and all systems are verified by the flight computer. If the systems are operating correctly, the rocket is released and clears the tower in about seven seconds. The first-stage burn lasts about 2 minutes and 49 seconds. Stage separation is accomplished with explosive bolts and a pneumatically actuated pusher system. The second stage Kestrel engine burns for about six minutes, inserting

12367-478: The first such test doing significant damage to Booster 7 on July 11, 2022. After a launch attempt aborted on April 17, 2023, Booster 7 and Ship 24 lifted off on 20 April at 13:33 UTC in the first orbital flight test. Three engines were disabled during the launch sequence and several more failed during the flight. The flight concluded when the booster lost thrust vectoring control of the Raptor engines, resulting in

12516-423: The first test launch of the rocket was not expected before 2016 at the time of the project getting underway. As the Stratolaunch development program progressed, it became clear that Stratolaunch and the system integrator, Dynetics, wanted modifications to the SpaceX basic launch-vehicle design that SpaceX felt were not strategic to the direction they were growing the company. These included requested modifications to

12665-426: The first-stage burn. However, during staging, the interstage fairing on the top of the first stage bumped the second-stage engine bell. The bump occurred as the second-stage nozzle exited the interstage, with the first stage rotating much faster than expected (a rotation rate of about 2.5°/s vs. expected rate of 0.5°/s maximum), thereby making contact with the niobium nozzle of the second stage. Elon Musk reported that

12814-407: The fuel and oxidizer to the cryogenic helium, rendering the vehicle in a premature launch state. Still within the specified window, the launch attempt was recycled, but aborted half a second before lift-off because of a sensor misreading. The problem was resolved, and the launch was again recycled. With 25 minutes left in the launch window, the Falcon 1 lifted off from Omelek Island at 03:35 UTC. During

12963-664: The full Starship configuration launched on 6 June 2024, at 7:50 AM CDT. The goals for the test flight were for the Super Heavy booster to land on a 'virtual tower' in the ocean. Super Heavy achieved a soft splashdown, before being destroyed after tipping over. In April 2024, Musk stated one of the goals was to attempt a booster tower landing based on successful booster performance in flight 4. Vehicle testing commenced in May 2024. SpaceX claimed that B12 and S30 were ready to launch in early August, in advance of regulatory approval. SpaceX flew S30 and B12 on October 13, 2024, with B12 returning to

13112-440: The higher-propellant-capacity cooling system. On 28 September 2008, the Falcon 1 succeeded in reaching orbit on its fourth attempt , becoming the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to do so. The Falcon 1 carried its first and only successful commercial payload into orbit on 13 July 2009, on its fifth launch . No launch attempts of the Falcon 1 have been made since 2009, and SpaceX is no longer taking launch reservations for

13261-455: The house. So it was a shitty summer. Following the three prior failures, the SpaceX team assembled the fourth rocket using available parts in six weeks as a last chance for the company. A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was chartered to quickly deliver the rocket, but along the way, the rocket partially imploded when repressurization exceeded what the SpaceX team had expected from the C-17's manual and

13410-487: The interstage will be directly integrated into the vehicle. As of November 2024, all Super Heavy components are manufactured at Starbase , Texas. The manufacturing process starts with rolls of stainless steel , which are unrolled, cut, and welded along an edge to create a cylinder of 9 m (30 ft) diameter, 1.83 m (6.00 ft) tall, and 3.97 mm (0.156 in) thick, and approximately 1600 kg (3,600 lb) in mass. Thirty-three such rings are used in

13559-498: The launch moving to the Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll . The maiden launch was scheduled for 31 October 2005, but was held off, then rescheduled for 25 November, which also did not occur. Another attempt was made on 19 December 2005 but was scrubbed when a faulty valve caused a vacuum in the first stage fuel tank which sucked inward and caused structural damage. After replacing the first stage, Falcon 1 launched Saturday, 25 March 2006 at 09:30 local time . The DARPA payload

13708-406: The launch site for a catch. Super Heavy and Starship are stacked onto their launch mount and loaded with fuel via the booster quick disconnect (BQD) and ship quick disconnect (SQD) arm. At the T – 19:40 mark, engine chill begins on the booster. This is to protect the engine's turbopumps from thermal shock. At three seconds before launch, the 33 engines startup sequence begins. After liftoff,

13857-435: The launch system— Falcon 9 v1.1 —has been retired meanwhile. Falcon 9 v1.1 was developed in 2010–2013, and made its maiden flight in September 2013. The Falcon 9 v1.1 is 60 percent heavier, with 60 percent more thrust than the v1.0 version of the Falcon 9. It includes realigned first-stage engines and 60 percent longer fuel tanks, making it more susceptible to bending during flight. The engines themselves have been upgraded to

14006-590: The launch vehicle to add chines . Development ceased in the fourth quarter of 2012, as SpaceX and Stratolaunch "amicably agreed to end [their] contractual relationship because the [Stratolaunch] launch vehicle design [had] departed significantly from the Falcon derivative vehicle envisioned by SpaceX and does not fit well with [SpaceX's] long-term strategic business model". On 27 November 2012 Stratolaunch announced that they would partner with Orbital Sciences Corporation —initially on an air-launched vehicle study contract—instead of SpaceX, effectively ending development of

14155-437: The launch video, rocking back and forth a bit, and then at T+26 seconds rapidly pitched over. Impact occurred at T+41 seconds onto a dead reef about 250 feet from the launch site. The FalconSAT–2 payload separated from the booster and landed on the island, with damage reports varying from slight to significant. SpaceX initially attributed the fire to an improperly tightened fuel-line nut. A later review by DARPA found that

14304-532: The launch, small vehicle roll oscillations were visible. Stage separation occurred as planned, but because residual fuel in the new Merlin 1C engine evaporated and provided transient thrust, the first stage recontacted the second stage, preventing successful completion of the mission. The SpaceX flight-3 mission summary indicated that flight 4 would take place as planned and that the failure of flight 3 did not make any technological upgrades necessary. A longer time between first-stage engine shutdown and stage separation

14453-539: The mid-2000s. To improve performance, the engines burn super cooled propellant. The current version of the booster produces a total of 69.9 MN (15,700,000 lb f ) just over twice that of the Saturn V first stage , with this total being expected to increase to 80.8 MN (18,200,000 lb f ) for Block 2 boosters and later up to 98.1 MN (22,100,000 lb f ) with the Block 3 vehicle. These later versions may have up to 35 engines. The combined plume of

14602-496: The more powerful Merlin 1D . These improvements increased the payload capability from 10,450 to 13,150 kilograms (23,040 to 28,990 lb). The stage separation system has been redesigned and reduces the number of attachment points from twelve to three, and the vehicle has upgraded avionics and software. The new first stage was also supposed to be used as side boosters on the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. The company purchased

14751-399: The next day. On August 25, Booster 9 underwent a static fire of all 33 engines, with two engines shutting off early, which lasted around 6 seconds. Ship 25 (S25) was lifted onto B9 for the first time on September 5, and was destacked several times throughout the rest of the month and mid October. On October 22, B9 underwent two partial cryogenic tests, while S25 was not tested, followed by

14900-452: The nut was properly tightened, since its locking wire was still in place, but had failed because of corrosion from saltwater spray. SpaceX implemented numerous changes to the rocket design and software to prevent this type of failure from recurring, including stainless steel to replace aluminum hardware (which is actually less expensive, although the trade off is being a little heavier in weight) and pre-liftoff computer checks that increased by

15049-457: The other four engines longer to achieve the correct orbit. In comparison, the Space Shuttle only had partial engine-out capability, meaning that it was not able to achieve proper orbit by burning the remaining engines longer. In 2006, SpaceX stated that the Falcon 5 was a Falcon 9 with four engines removed. Since the launchers were being co-developed, work on the Falcon 9 was also applicable to

15198-571: The outer 20 engines, while the center engines vent directly below the launch pad. The Raptor engine uses a full-flow staged combustion cycle, which has both oxygen and methane-rich turbopumps. Before 2014, only two full-flow staged-combustion rocket engine designs had advanced enough to undergo testing: the Soviet RD-270 project in the 1960s and the Aerojet Rocketdyne Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator in

15347-584: The payload into a low Earth orbit. It is capable of multiple restarts. SpaceX quoted Falcon 1 launch prices as being the same for all customers. In 2005 Falcon 1 was advertised as costing $ 5.9 million ($ 7.3 million when adjusted for inflation in 2015). In 2006 until 2007 the quoted price of the rocket when operational was $ 6.7 million. In late 2009 SpaceX announced new prices for the Falcon 1 and 1e at $ 7 million and $ 8.5 million respectively, with small discounts available for multi-launch contracts, and in 2012 announced that payloads originally selected as flying on

15496-444: The production site, the engines are installed, alongside their shielding, which forms the aft bay. This is followed by static fire testing at the launch site. Once this test is completed, the vented interstage is added to the vehicle. In October 2012, the company made the first public articulation of plans to develop a fully reusable rocket system with substantially greater capabilities than SpaceX's existing Falcon 9. Later in 2012,

15645-470: The projected prices for Ariane 6 , projected to be available in 2024. As a result of additional mission requirements for government launches, SpaceX prices US government missions somewhat higher than similar commercial missions, but has noted that even with those added services, Falcon 9 missions contracted to the government are still priced well below US$ 100 million (even with approximately US$ 9 million in special security charges for some missions) which

15794-453: The reason that I ended up being the chief engineer or chief designer, was not because I want to, it's because I couldn't hire anyone. Nobody good would join. So I ended up being that by default. And I messed up the first three launches. The first three launches failed. Fortunately the fourth launch which was – that was the last money that we had for Falcon 1 – the fourth launch worked, or that would have been it for SpaceX. Musk further explained

15943-451: The ring stacks, improving the structural strength of the booster. For the forward section, cutouts are made for the grid fins and hardpoints. Following this, the domes are installed within the forward, aft, and common ring stacks. The forward ring stack consists of three rings, and the common ring stack consists of four. The aft section is constructed solely from the four 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) rings. Tank vents and external piping

16092-487: The rocket had to undergo emergency repairs to be saved. Despite the challenges, the fourth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket successfully flew on 28 September 2008, delivering a 165-kilogram (363-pound) non-functional boilerplate spacecraft into low Earth orbit . It was Falcon 1's first successful launch and the first successful orbital launch of any privately funded and developed , fully liquid-propelled carrier rocket. The launch occurred from Omelek Island , part of

16241-402: The rocket spinning out of control. The flight termination system (FTS) was activated, though the vehicle tumbled for another 40 seconds before disintegrating. After the first test flight, SpaceX began work on the launch mount to repair the damage it sustained during the test and to prevent future issues. The foundation of the launch tower was reinforced and a water powered flame deflector

16390-483: The rocket's second-stage engine fired again to circularize the orbit. The payload was then successfully deployed. After the launch Elon Musk , founder and CEO of SpaceX, told a reporter the launch had been a success. "We nailed the orbit to well within target parameters...pretty much a bullseye" Musk said. The Falcon 1 upper stage is still in low Earth orbit as of 2021. Following the fifth flight, future launches of Falcon-1 were postponed, and eventually cancelled, and

16539-528: The rockets and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars . Starship's two stages are the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft . Both stages are equipped with Raptor engines , the first flown and mass-produced full-flow staged combustion cycle engines, which burn liquid methane (natural gas) and liquid oxygen . The main structure

16688-481: The same as those used in the Delta III . The second stage was powered by a pressure-fed Kestrel engine with 31 kilonewtons (7,000 lbf) of vacuum thrust and a vacuum specific impulse of 330 s. The first stage was originally planned to return by parachute to a water landing and be recovered for reuse, but this capability was never demonstrated. The second stage was not designed to be reusable. At launch,

16837-406: The second stage being called Starship and the booster Super Heavy . In September 2019, Musk held an event about Starship development during which he further detailed the booster. In March 2021, SpaceX assembled the first Super Heavy prototype, BN1, a production pathfinder for future vehicles. It was scrapped on March 30. The next booster, BN3, was completed on June 29, 2021. It conducted

16986-403: The second stage towards orbit, it can return to its launch site where it lands vertically by being caught by its launch tower, allowing for full reusability. Super Heavy is 71 m (233 ft) tall, 9 m (30 ft) wide, and is composed of four general sections: the engines, the oxygen tank, the fuel tank, and the interstage. Elon Musk stated in 2021 that the final design will have

17135-455: The second-stage LOX tank and adjusting the control logic. Furthermore, the Merlin shutdown transient was to be addressed by initiating shutdown at a much lower thrust level, albeit at some risk to engine reusability. The SpaceX team wished to work on the problem to avoid a recurrence as they changed over into the operational phase for Falcon 1. SpaceX attempted the third Falcon 1 launch on 3 August 2008 (GMT) from Kwajalein . This flight carried

17284-464: The sides of the oxygen tank, protecting the COPVs and CO 2 tanks for fire suppression , as well as providing lift during descent. Super Heavy is powered by 33 Raptor engines, which are housed within a dedicated shielding compartment. This compartment is not present before engine installation, thus, boosters are roughly three meters shorter before engine installation. The outer 20 engines, arranged in

17433-403: The situation to Ars Technica journalist Eric Berger: At the time I had to allocate a lot of capital to Tesla and SolarCity , so I was out of money. We had three failures under our belt. So it's pretty hard to go raise money. The recession is starting to hit. The Tesla financing round that we tried to raise that summer had failed. I got divorced. I didn't even have a house. My ex-wife had

17582-424: The structural material was changed from carbon composites to stainless steel, marking the transition from early design concepts of the Starship. Musk cited numerous reasons for the design change; low cost and ease of manufacture, increased strength of stainless steel at cryogenic temperatures , as well as its ability to withstand high heat. In 2019, SpaceX began to refer to the entire vehicle as Starship, with

17731-399: The tanker variant is used to transfer propellant to spacecraft in orbit. The concept, especially the technological feats required to make such a system possible and the funds needed, garnered substantial skepticism. Both stages would use autogenous pressurization of the propellant tanks, eliminating the Falcon 9's problematic high-pressure helium pressurization system. The ITS booster

17880-412: The thrust structure of the vehicle. While the outer 20 engines are mounted to the walls of the aft bay, the inner thirteen are mounted directly to the thrust puck, which is part of the aft dome. A large steel structure is mounted at the bottom of the dome, reinforcing the thrust puck enough to enable its support of the inner thirteen engines, while also providing pathways for methane and oxygen to flow into

18029-409: The trajectory towards the launch site. After the boostback burn, the booster's engines shut off with Super Heavy on a trajectory for a controlled descent to the launch site using its grid fins for minor course corrections. After six minutes, shortly before landing, it ignites its inner 13 engines, then shuts off all but the inner 3, to perform a landing burn which slows it sufficiently to be caught by

18178-464: The vehicle decommissioned from service, with SpaceX stating "We could not make Falcon 1 work as a business." Launches which had been booked onto Falcon-1 were moved to other vehicles or rebooked as Falcon-9 rideshare payloads. SpaceX Super Heavy Super Heavy is the reusable first stage of the SpaceX Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicle , which it composes in combination with

18327-520: The vehicle started to roll, and telemetry ended. According to Elon Musk , the second-stage engine shut down at T+7:30 because of a roll-control issue. Sloshing of propellant in the LOX tank increased oscillation. This oscillation would normally have been dampened by the Thrust Vector Control system in the second stage, but the bump to the second-stage nozzle during separation caused an overcompensation in

18476-431: Was September 29, 2013 from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying several payloads including Canada's CASSIOPE technology demonstration satellite. The Falcon 9 v1.1 features stretched first and second stages, and a new octagonal arrangement of the 9 Merlin-1D engines on the first stage (replacing the square pattern of engines in v1.0). SpaceX notes that the Falcon 9 v1.1 is cheaper to manufacture, and longer than v1.0. It also has

18625-439: Was a collaborative project that included subcontractors SpaceX, Scaled Composites , and Dynetics , with funding provided by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen 's Vulcan investment and project management company. Stratolaunch set out to build a mobile launch system with three primary components: a carrier aircraft (aircraft concept was designed by Burt Rutan , but the aircraft will be designed and built by Scaled Composites);

18774-413: Was abandoned at the test-fire stage due to persistent schedule conflicts with adjacent launch pads. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 (the Falcon 9 pad) was considered for Falcon 1 launches but never developed before Falcon 1 was retired. Falcon 1 made five launches. The first three failed, however the subsequent two flights were successful, the first successful launch making it

18923-402: Was built under the launch mount. Ship 25 and Booster 9 were rolled to the suborbital and orbital launch sites in May to undergo multiple tests. On 18 November 2023, Booster 9 and Ship 25 lifted off the pad. All 33 engines continued to function until staging, where the second stage separated by pushing itself away from the first stage using a hot-staging technique. Following separation,

19072-465: Was changed to a more elliptical dome, which has changed the propellant capacity of both tanks by an unknown, but likely negligible, amount. Both tanks are heavily reinforced, with roughly 74 stringers attached to the interior walls of the tanks. The booster's tanks hold 3,400 t (7,500,000 lb) of propellant, consisting of 2,700 t (6,000,000 lb) of liquid oxygen and 700 t (1,500,000 lb) of liquid methane. The methane tank has

19221-518: Was coupled before the end of the year with SpaceX igniting all of their rockets within 24 hours on 28–29 December 2023 (Falcon family rockets launching on their missions and both Starship stages performing static fires). For Falcon 1 Flights 3 through 5. Merlin 1A was used for Falcon 1 Flights 1 and 2. Falcon 1 Falcon 1 was a two-stage small-lift launch vehicle that was operated from 2006 to 2009 by SpaceX , an American aerospace manufacturer . On 28 September 2008, Falcon 1 became

19370-419: Was declared to be enough. The full video of the third launch attempt was made public by SpaceX a few weeks after the launch. Musk blamed himself for the failure of this launch, as well as the two prior attempts, explaining at the 2017 International Astronautical Congress that his role as chief engineer in the early Falcon 1 launches was not by choice and almost bankrupted the company before succeeding: And

19519-443: Was delayed 45 minutes from 23:00 GMT because of a data-relay issue, and then scrubbed 1 minute 2 seconds before launch at 23:45 because of a computer issue, whereby the safety computer incorrectly detected a transmission failure caused by a hardware delay of a few milliseconds in the process. 20 March attempt was delayed 65 minutes from an originally planned time of 23:00 because of a problem with communications between one of

19668-813: Was developed as part of the United States Air Force 's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and NASA 's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. It was first launched from Cape Canaveral in 2010 and later replaced by the Falcon 9 v1.1 series in 2013, which was also launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 Full Thrust and Falcon Heavy variants followed in 2015 and 2018. Falcon Heavy launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Falcon 9 additionally launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg . Elon Musk , CEO of SpaceX, has stated that

19817-490: Was developed with private funding. The only other orbital launch vehicles to be privately funded and developed were the Conestoga in 1982; and Pegasus , first launched in 1990, which uses a large aircraft as its launch platform. The total development cost of Falcon 1 was approximately US$ 90 million to US$ 100 million. While the development of Falcon 1 was privately funded, the first two Falcon 1 launches were purchased by

19966-523: Was developing a new rocket using Raptor engines called the Interplanetary Transport System. It would have two stages, a reusable booster and spacecraft. The stages' tanks were to be made from carbon composite , storing liquid methane and liquid oxygen. Despite the rocket's 300 t (660,000 lb) launch capacity to low Earth orbit, it was expected to have a low launch price. The spacecraft featured three variants: crew, cargo, and tanker;

20115-696: Was integrated at Cape Canaveral on 30 December 2008. NASA was planning for a flight to take place in January 2010; however the maiden flight was postponed several times and took place on 4 June 2010. At 2:50pm EST (14:50 ET), the Falcon 9 rocket successfully reached orbit. The second flight for the Falcon 9 vehicle was the COTS Demo Flight 1 , the first launch under the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract designed to provide "seed money" for development of new boosters. The original NASA contract called for

20264-618: Was launched on an Orbital Sciences Minotaur I on 16 December 2006, the Department of Defense re-evaluated the need for launching TacSat-1. In August 2007, the Department of Defense canceled the planned launch of TacSat-1 because all of the TacSat objectives had been met. An August 2005 update on SpaceX's website showed 6 launches planned for Falcon 1, with customers including MDA Corp ( CASSIOPE , which eventually launched in 2013 on Falcon 9), Swedish Space Corp and US Air Force. According to SpaceX,

20413-570: Was made from friction-stir-welded 2219 aluminum alloy . It employs a common bulkhead between the LOX and RP-1 tanks, as well as flight pressure stabilization. It can be transported safely without pressurization (like the heavier Delta II isogrid design) but gains additional strength when pressurized for flight (like the Atlas II , which could not be transported unpressurized). The parachute system, built by Irvin Para­;chute Corp­oration, uses

20562-476: Was moved back to Mega Bay 1 on September 19 for engine and interstage installation. On December 18, B10 was moved to the orbital launch site, followed by a lift onto OLM A the next day. It aborted a static fire test on December 21, before completing a 33-engine static fire test on December 29, followed by its removal from OLM A on December 30. On January 2, 2024, B10 was moved back to the Production Site, and

20711-427: Was planned to be provided by four Merlin 1D rocket engines , engines that were also to be used in the Falcon 9 v1.1 beginning in 2013, and also on the Falcon Heavy in 2014. Its first flight was notionally planned for 2016. In December 2011 Stratolaunch Systems announced that it would contract with SpaceX to develop an air-launched , multiple-stage launch vehicle , as a derivative of Falcon 9 technology, called

20860-435: Was powered by a single pump-fed Merlin 1C engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen providing 410 kilonewtons (92,000 lbf) of sea-level thrust and a specific impulse of 245 s (vacuum I sp 290 s). The first stage burns to depletion, taking around 169 seconds to do so. The second stage Falcon 1 tanks were built with a cryogenic -compatible 2014 aluminum alloy , with the plan to move to aluminum-lithium alloy on

21009-425: Was rolled to OLM A on July 20, conducting a cryogenic proof test on OLM A, followed by a spin prime test on August 4. On August 6, Booster 9 fired 29 engines for 2.7 seconds, instead of the planned 33 engines for five seconds. It was then moved off of OLM A and rolled back to Mega Bay 1, where its vented interstage was added on August 16. B9 was moved back to OLM A on August 22 and underwent another spin prime test

21158-406: Was stacked on top of Booster 4 on August 6, 2021 for a fitting test, making it, for two years, the tallest rocket ever fully integrated. B4 completed its first cryogenic proof test on December 17, 2021, followed by a pneumatic proof test, another cryogenic proof test and a full-load cryogenic proof test. B4 and Ship 20 were then retired. On March 6, 2024, B4s grid fins were removed, it was moved to

21307-402: Was switched from a hydraulic system to an electric one, enabling the removal of the hydraulic power units. This change was made to the upper stage after the second flight test . During the ascent burn and boostback burns, the engines draw propellant from the main tanks, with the liquid oxygen being drawn from a dedicated header tank during the landing burn. Like the thrust vector control system,

21456-499: Was the United States Air Force Academy 's FalconSAT–2 , which would have measured space plasma phenomena. The launch took place on Saturday, 24 March 2006 at 22:30 UTC, from the SpaceX launch site on Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands . It ended in failure less than a minute into the flight because of a fuel line leak and subsequent fire. The vehicle had a noticeable rolling motion after liftoff, as shown on

21605-421: Was to achieve a separation velocity of about 8,650 km/h (5,370 mph) while retaining about 7% of the initial propellant to achieve a vertical landing at the launch pad. The design called for grid fins to guide the booster during atmospheric reentry . The booster return flights were expected to encounter loads lower than the Falcon 9, principally because the ITS would have both a lower mass ratio and

21754-579: Was to be a 12 m-diameter (39 ft), 77.5 m-high (254 ft), reusable first stage powered by 42 engines, each producing 3,024 kilonewtons (680,000 lbf) of thrust . Total booster thrust would have been 128 MN (29,000,000 lbf) at liftoff, increasing to 138 MN (31,000,000 lbf) in a vacuum, several times the 36 MN (8,000,000 lbf) thrust of the Saturn V . It weighed 275 tonnes (606,000 lb) when empty and 6,700 tonnes (14,800,000 lb) when completely filled with propellant. It would have used grid fins to help guide

21903-474: Was to be launched on 21 April 2009, which would be 20 April 2009 in the United States. Less than a week before the scheduled launch date, Malaysian news reported that unsafe vibration levels had been detected in the rocket and repairs were expected to take about six weeks. On 20 April 2009, SpaceX announced in a press release that the launch had been postponed because of a potential compatibility issue between

22052-463: Was to be powered by five Merlin engines , and the upper stage by one Merlin engine, both burning RP-1 with a liquid oxygen oxidizer. Along with the Falcon 9 , it would have been the world's only launch vehicle with its first stage designed for reuse. The Falcon 5 would have been the first American rocket since the Saturn V to have full engine-out capability, meaning that with the loss of one engine, it can still meet mission requirements by burning

22201-486: Was transported to the Orbital Launch Site for a WDR. On February 9, B10 was lifted onto OLM A, and on February 10, Ship 28 (S28) was lifted onto B10, with the combined vehicle aborting two wet dress rehearsal attempts. The wet dress rehearshal was completed on March 3. The vehicles were destacked for FTS arming on March 5, which occurred on March 8, followed by S28 being restacked on March 10. On March 14, B10

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