Falcon 9 Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Falcon 9
Size

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)
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)	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)	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	FT: 4,020 kg (8,860 lb)

Associated rockets
Derivatives	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	334 FT: 314 v1.1: 15 v1.0: 5
Successes	332 FT: 314 v1.1: 14 v1.0: 4
Failures	1 (v1.1: CRS-7 in-flight)
Partial failures	1 (v1.0: CRS-1)
Other	1 (FT: AMOS-6 pre-flight destruction)
Landings	292 / 301 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
Engines	FT Block 5: 9 Merlin 1D+ (maximum thrust) FT: 9 Merlin 1D+ v1.1: 9 Merlin 1D v1.0: 9 Merlin 1C
Thrust	FT (late 2016): 7.6 MN (770 t_f; 1,700,000 lbf) FT: 6.8 MN (690 t_f; 1,500,000 lbf) v1.1: 5.9 MN (600 t_f; 1,300,000 lbf) v1.0: 4.9 MN (500 t_f; 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
Fuel	LOX / RP-1
Second stage
Engines	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
Thrust	FT regular: 934 kN (95.2 t_f; 210,000 lbf) FT short: 840.6 kN (85.72 t_f; 189,000 lbf) v1.1: 801 kN (81.7 t_f; 180,000 lbf) v1.0: 617 kN (62.9 t_f; 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
Fuel	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 13 May 2024, SpaceX has successfully landed Falcon 9 boosters 292 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 2010–2013, v1.1 flew from 2013–2016, while v1.2 Full Thrust first launched in 2015, encompassing the Block 5 variant, which has been in operation since May 2018.

Images for kids

Falcon 9 Flight 20 historic first-stage landing at CCAFS, Landing Zone 1, on 21 December 2015.
A Falcon 9 v1.0 being launched with a Dragon spacecraft to deliver cargo to the ISS in 2012.
The launch of the first Falcon 9 v1.1 from SLC-4, Vandenberg AFB (Falcon 9 Flight 6) in September 2013
A close-up of the newer titanium grid fins first flown for the second Iridium NEXT mission in June 2017.
Falcon 9's first stage successfully landing on an ASDS for the first time, following the launch of SpaceX CRS-8 to the ISS.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket delivered the ABS-3A and Eutelsat 115 West B satellites to a supersynchronous transfer orbit, launching from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida in March 2015.

Falcon 9 facts for kids

Related pages

Images for kids

See also