Falcon 9
Credit: NASA
American low cost orbital launch vehicle. In September 2006 SpaceX was named as one of two winners of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services competition. The SpaceX award was $278 million for three flight demonstrations of the Falcon 9 booster carrying the Dragon space capsule. On 23 December 2008 NASA announced that the Falcon 9 / Dragon had been selected for launch of a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg of payload to the International Space Station in 2010-2014. The firm contract was worth $1.6 billion, with another $1.5 billion of options.
Reliability of the Falcon 9 was assured by a hold-before-release system – the Falcon was held down and could not be released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems were confirmed to be operating normally. An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occurred if any off nominal conditions are detected. A Kevlar shield protects each engine from debris in the event of its neighbor failing. All Falcon designs had only two stages and only one stage separation event – the minimum practical. All stage separation bolts were all dual initiated, fully space qualified, and had a zero failure track record in prior launch vehicles. Guidance was by triple redundant flight computers and inertial navigation, with a GPS overlay for additional orbit insertion accuracy. The engines, structural materials and design principles, avionics and launch system were all to have been proven on earlier Falcon 1 flights before the first Falcon 9 was ever launched.
The Falcon 9 first and second stage tank walls and domes were made from aluminum 2219, using all friction stir welding. The interstage was made of a carbon fiber honeycomb structure. The separation system consisted of pyrotechnic release bolts and pneumatic separation pushers. Although in-flight failures are very rarely explosive, a Kevlar shield protects each engine from debris in the event of its neighbor failing.
LEO Payload: 10,450 kg (23,030 lb) to a 200 km orbit at 28.00 degrees. Payload: 4,540 kg (10,000 lb) to a GTO, 28 deg. Development Cost $: 378.000 million. Launch Price $: 36.750 million in 2008 dollars in 2008 dollars. Boost Propulsion: Lox/Kerosene. Cruise Thrust: 66.600 kN (14,972 lbf). Cruise Thrust: 6,800 kgf. Cruise engine: Kestrel. Initial Operational Capability: 2009.
Status: In development.
Gross mass: 333,400 kg (735,000 lb).
Payload: 10,450 kg (23,030 lb).
Height: 55.00 m (180.00 ft).
Diameter: 3.60 m (11.80 ft).
Span: 3.60 m (11.80 ft).
Thrust: 5,560.00 kN (1,249,930 lbf).
Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
First Launch: 2010.06.04.
Last Launch: 2010.12.08.
Number: 2 .
More... - Chronology...
Associated Countries
See also
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Falcon Falcons are a family of two stage, reusable, liquid oxygen and kerosene powered launch vehicles, designed for cost-efficient and reliable transport of satellites and manned spacecraft to low Earth orbit. The Falcon 1 satellite launcher began launches in 2006, with the Falcon 9 - as large as a Saturn I - flying in 2010. The Falcon series was the only successful project among many attempts to privately develop a low cost launch system since the 1960's. More...
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LCLV Various independently-funded launch vehicles have been advocated, designed, and even developed over the years. A lot of these are attempts to build low-cost launch vehicles using simpler technology. Often such projects begin based on a low cost liquid fuel technology but end up just trying to sell various combinations of Castor solid fuel stages. These enterprises often discover there's more to coming up with a reliable launch vehicle than slashing together a bunch of 'off the shelf' rocket motors and lighting the fuse.... On the other hand, if there is ever a breakthrough in less expensive access to space, it will come through one of these entrepreneurial schemes... More...
Associated Manufacturers and Agencies
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SpaceX American manufacturer of rockets, spacecraft, and rocket engines. SpaceX, USA. More...
Falcon 9 Chronology
2010 June 4 - .
18:45 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Cape Canaveral.
Launch Complex:
Cape Canaveral LC40.
Launch Pad: SLC40.
LV Family:
Falcon.
Launch Vehicle:
Falcon 9.
LV Configuration: Falcon 9 s/n F9-1.
- Dragon/Falcon 9 - .
Mass: 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: SpaceX. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Dragon. Decay Date: 2010-06-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 36595 . COSPAR: 2010-026A. Apogee: 140 km (80 mi). Perigee: 138 km (85 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 87.30 min. Summary: First launch of the commercial Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Structural model of Dragon reusable spacecraft. Remained attached to final stage..
2010 December 8 - .
15:43 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Cape Canaveral.
Launch Complex:
Cape Canaveral LC40.
Launch Pad: SLC40.
LV Family:
Falcon.
Launch Vehicle:
Falcon 9.
- Dragon C1 - .
Nation: USA. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Spacecraft: Dragon. Duration: 0.14 days. Decay Date: 2010-01-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 37244 . COSPAR: 2010-066A. Apogee: 306 km (190 mi). Perigee: 281 km (174 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Summary: First test of the Dragon recoverable spacecraft. Splashed down and successfully recovered in the Pacific Ocean 800 km west of Mexico after a 3 hour 20 minute mission..
- QBX2 - .
Payload: QbX-2. Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2011-12-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 37245 . COSPAR: 2010-066B. Apogee: 187 km (116 mi). Perigee: 173 km (107 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.10 min. Summary: Cubesat satellite built by Pumpkin Inc of San Francisco for the National Reconaissance Office's Colony-1 technology development project..
- SMDC One - .
Payload: SMDC-One. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2011-12-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 37246 . COSPAR: 2010-066C. Apogee: 184 km (114 mi). Perigee: 173 km (107 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.10 min. Summary: Operational Nanosatellite Experiment for the US Army Space and Missile Defense Center.
- Perseus 003 - .
Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2010-01-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 37247 . COSPAR: 2010-066D. Apogee: 190 km (110 mi). Perigee: 179 km (111 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.20 min. Summary: Los Alamos National Laboratory cubesat, perhaps for ionospheric monitoring..
- Perseus 001 - .
Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2010-12-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 37248 . COSPAR: 2010-066E. Apogee: 183 km (113 mi). Perigee: 176 km (109 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.10 min. Summary: Los Alamos National Laboratory cubesat, perhaps for ionospheric monitoring..
- QBX1 - .
Payload: QbX-1. Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2011-12-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 37249 . COSPAR: 2010-066F. Apogee: 197 km (122 mi). Perigee: 185 km (114 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.30 min. Summary: Cubesat satellite built by Pumpkin Inc of San Francisco for the National Reconaissance Office's Colony-1 technology development project..
- Perseus 002 - .
Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2010-12-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 37250 . COSPAR: 2010-066G. Apogee: 193 km (119 mi). Perigee: 183 km (113 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.20 min. Summary: Los Alamos National Laboratory cubesat, perhaps for ionospheric monitoring..
- Perseus 000 - .
Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2010-12-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 37251 . COSPAR: 2010-066H. Apogee: 190 km (110 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.20 min. Summary: Los Alamos National Laboratory cubesat, perhaps for ionospheric monitoring..
- Mayflower - .
Payload: Caerus/Mayflower. Mass: 3.00 kg (6.60 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. Decay Date: 2010-12-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 37252 . COSPAR: 2010-066J. Apogee: 194 km (120 mi). Perigee: 179 km (111 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 88.20 min. Experiment for Northrop Grumman NovaWorks and the University of Southern California. 3-unit cubesat with deployable solar panels composed of a Northrop Grumman's 2-unit Mayflower Next Generation Technology Nanosat and University of Southern California's 1-unit cubesat.
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