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 in June 2010. The first Falcon 9 ISS commercial resupply mission to the ISS launched on 8 October 2012.[1] In 2020 it became the first commercial rocket to ever launch humans to orbit and is currently the only such vehicle capable of doing so.[2] It is the only U.S. rocket currently certified for transporting humans to the International Space Station.[3][4][5] 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.[6]
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payload to a pre-determined altitude, after which the second stage lifts the payload to its ultimate destination. The booster is capable of landing vertically to facilitate reuse. This feat was first achieved on flight 20 in December 2015. As of Template:Falcon rocket statistics, SpaceX has successfully landed boosters Template:Falcon rocket statistics times.[upper-alpha 1] Individual boosters have flown as many as 16 flights.[7] Both stages are powered by SpaceX Merlin engines, using cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.[8][9]
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,[10] while the latter went into a lower-energy GTO, with an apogee well below the geostationary altitude.[11] On 24 January 2021, Falcon 9 set a record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket, carrying 143 into orbit.[12]
Falcon 9 is human-rated for transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS. Falcon 9 is certified for the National Security Space Launch[13] program and NASA Launch Services Program as "Category 3", which can launch the most expensive, important, and complex NASA missions.[14]
The rocket evolved through several versions. V1.0 flew from 2010–2013, V1.1 flew from 2013–2016, while V1.2 Full Thrust first launched in 2015, encompassing the Block 5 variant, is in operation since May 2018.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Cawley, James (10 November 2020). "NASA and SpaceX Complete Certification of First Human-Rated Commercial Space System". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ↑ Berger, Eric (22 April 2020). "The Falcon 9 just became America's workhorse rocket". Arstechnica. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ↑ Wall, Mike (4 June 2020). "Happy birthday, Falcon 9! SpaceX's workhorse rocket debuted 10 years ago today". Space.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Evans, Ben (10 July 2023). "SpaceX's "Sweet Sixteen" Launches Starlinks, Enters Reusability Record Books". AmericaSpace.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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-
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
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