Falcon 9 Full Thrust
Falcon 9 Full Thrust (also known as Falcon 9 v1.2, with variants Block 1 to Block 5) is a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, designed and manufactured by SpaceX. It was first designed in 2014–2015, with its first launch operations in December 2015. As of 15 February 2024, Falcon 9 Full Thrust had performed 279 launches without any failures. Based on the Laplace point estimate of reliability, this rocket is the most reliable orbital launch vehicle currently in operation.
Launch of the first Falcon 9 Full Thrust flight, Falcon 9 Flight 20, carrying 11 Orbcomm satellites to orbit. The first stage was recovered at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station LZ-1 following the first successful Falcon 9 landing. | |
| Function | Partially reusable orbital medium-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Cost per launch | $62M (2016), $50M (Reusable, 2018) |
| Size | |
| Height | 71 m (233 ft) with payload fairing |
| Diameter | 3.66 m (12.0 ft) |
| Mass | 549,000 kg (1,210,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO (28.5°) | |
| Mass |
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| Payload to GTO (27°) | |
| Mass |
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| Payload to Mars | |
| Mass | 4,020 kg (8,860 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Falcon 9 |
| Derivative work | Falcon Heavy |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | |
| Total launches | 279 |
| Success(es) | 279 |
| Notable outcome(s) | 1 (destroyed before launch) |
| Landings | 258 / 264 attempts |
| First flight | 22 December 2015 |
| Last flight | Active |
| Type of passengers/cargo | |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 9 Merlin 1D |
| Maximum thrust | Sea level: 7,607 kN (1,710,000 lbf) Vacuum: 8,227 kN (1,850,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea level: 282 seconds Vacuum: 311 seconds |
| Burn time | 162 seconds |
| Propellant | Subcooled LOX / Chilled RP-1 |
| Second (Large Nozzle) stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Merlin 1D Vacuum |
| Maximum thrust | 934 kN (210,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 348 seconds |
| Burn time | 397 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Second (Short Nozzle) stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Merlin 1D Vacuum |
| Maximum thrust | ~840.6 kN (85.72 tf; 189,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 348 seconds |
| Burn time | 397 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
On December 22, 2015, the Full Thrust version of the Falcon 9 family was the first launch vehicle on an orbital trajectory to successfully vertically land a first stage. The landing followed a technology development program conducted from 2013 to 2015. Some of the required technology advances, such as landing legs, were pioneered on the Falcon 9 v1.1 version, but that version never landed intact. Starting in 2017, previously flown first-stage boosters were reused to launch new payloads into orbit. This quickly became routine, in 2018 and in 2019 more than half of all Falcon 9 flights reused a booster. In 2020 the fraction of reused boosters increased to 81%.
Falcon 9 Full Thrust is a substantial upgrade over the previous Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, which flew its last mission in January 2016. With uprated first- and second-stage engines, a larger second-stage propellant tank, and propellant densification, the vehicle can carry substantial payloads to geostationary orbit and perform a propulsive landing for recovery.