Falcon 9

Falcon 9
	A Falcon 9 lifting off from LC-39A, carrying Demo-2
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	US$67 million (2022)
Size
Height	FT: 70 m (230 ft); v1.1: 68.4 m (224 ft); v1.0: 54.9 m (180 ft);
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft)
Mass	FT: 549 t (1,210,000 lb); v1.1: 506 t (1,116,000 lb); v1.0: 333 t (734,000 lb);
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to low Earth orbit (LEO)
Orbital inclination	28.5°
Mass	FT: 22.8 t (50,000 lb) Expended ; 18.4 t (41,000 lb) when landing on ASDS; v1.1: 13.1 t (29,000 lb); v1.0: 10.4 t (23,000 lb);
Payload to Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO)
Orbital inclination	27.0°
Mass	FT: 8.3 t (18,000 lb) Expended ; 5.5 t (12,000 lb) when landing on ASDS; 3.5 t (7,700 lb) when RTLS; v1.1: 4.8 t (11,000 lb); v1.0: 4.5 t (9,900 lb);
Payload to Mars transfer orbit
Mass	FT: 4,020 kg (8,860 lb)
Associated rockets
Derivative work	Falcon Heavy
Launch history
Status	FT Block 5: Active; FT Block 4: Retired; FT Block 3: Retired; v1.1: Retired; v1.0: Retired;
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40; Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A; Vandenberg, SLC-4E; Vandenberg, SLC-6 (future);
Total launches	299 FT: 279; v1.1: 15; v1.0: 5; ;
Success(es)	297 FT: 279; v1.1: 14; v1.0: 4; ;
Failure(s)	1 ; (v1.1: CRS-7 in-flight)
Partial failure(s)	1 (v1.0: CRS-1)
Notable outcome(s)	1 (FT: AMOS-6 pre-flight destruction)
Landings	258 / 267 attempts
First flight	FT Block 5: 11 May 2018 ; (Bangabandhu Satellite-1); FT: 22 December 2015 ; (OG2 Flight 2); v1.1: 29 September 2013; CASSIOPE; v1.0: 4 June 2010; (Dragon COTS Demo 1);
Last flight	FT Block 4: 29 June 2018 (SpaceX CRS-15); v1.1: 17 January 2016; (Jason-3); v1.0: 1 March 2013; (SpaceX CRS-2);
First stage
Powered by	FT Block 5: 9 Merlin 1D+ (maximum thrust); FT: 9 Merlin 1D+; v1.1: 9 Merlin 1D; v1.0: 9 Merlin 1C;
Maximum thrust	FT (late 2016): 7.6 MN (770 tf; 1,700,000 lbf); FT: 6.8 MN (690 tf; 1,500,000 lbf); v1.1: 5.9 MN (600 tf; 1,300,000 lbf); v1.0: 4.9 MN (500 tf; 1,100,000 lbf);
Specific impulse	v1.1 Sea level: 282 s (2.77 km/s); Vacuum: 311 s (3.05 km/s); ; v1.0 Sea level: 275 s (2.70 km/s); Vacuum: 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
Powered by	FT regular: 1 Merlin 1D Vacuum+ regular nozzle; FT short: 1 Merlin 1D Vacuum+ short nozzle; v1.1: 1 Merlin 1D Vacuum; v1.0: 1 Merlin 1C Vacuum;
Maximum thrust	FT regular: 934 kN (95.2 tf; 210,000 lbf); FT short: 840.6 kN (85.72 tf; 189,000 lbf); v1.1: 801 kN (81.7 tf; 180,000 lbf); v1.0: 617 kN (62.9 tf; 139,000 lbf);
Specific impulse	FT regular: 348 s (3.41 km/s); FT short: 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 regular: 397 seconds; FT short: 397 seconds; v1.1: 375 seconds; v1.0: 345 seconds;
Propellant	LOX / RP-1

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX. It can also be used as an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle. The first Falcon 9 launch was on 4 June 2010. The first Falcon 9 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 and remains the only such vehicle. It is the only U.S. rocket certified for transporting humans to the ISS. In 2022, it became the U.S. rocket with the most launches in history and with the best safety record, having suffered just one flight failure.

The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payload to a pre-determined 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 15 February 2024, SpaceX has successfully landed Falcon 9 boosters 258 times. Individual boosters have flown as many as 19 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. Falcon 9 is certified for the National Security Space Launch program and NASA Launch Services Program as "Category 3", which can launch the most expensive, important, and complex NASA 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.

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