As of 8 December 2024, rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 421 times, with 418 full mission successes, three failures,[a] and one partial failure. Designed and operated by SpaceX, the Falcon 9 family includes the retired versions Falcon 9 v1.0, v1.1, and v1.2 "Full Thrust" (blocks 3 and 4), along with the active Block 5 evolution. Falcon Heavy is a heavy-lift derivative of Falcon 9, combining a strengthened central core with two Falcon 9 first stages as side boosters.[1]
The Falcon design features reusable first-stage boosters, which land either on a ground pad near the launch site or on a drone ship at sea.[2] In December 2015, Falcon 9 became the first rocket to land propulsively after delivering a payload into orbit.[3] This reusability results in significantly reduced launch costs, as the cost of the first stage constitutes the majority of the cost of a new rocket.[4][5]Falcon family boosters have successfully landed 382 times in 394 attempts. A total of 44 boosters have flown multiple missions, with a record of 24 missions by a booster. SpaceX has also reflown fairing halves more than 300 times, with some being reflown for at least twenty times.[6]
Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 421 times over 15years, resulting in 418 full successes (99.29%), two in-flight failures (SpaceX CRS-7 and Starlink Group 9–3), and one partial success (SpaceX CRS-1, which delivered its cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but a secondary payload was stranded in a lower-than-planned orbit). Additionally, one rocket and its payload (AMOS-6) were destroyed before launch in preparation for an on-pad static fire test. The active version of the rocket, the Falcon 9 Block 5, has flown 353 times successfully and failed once, resulting in the 99.72% success rate.
In 2022, the Falcon 9 set a new record with 60 successful launches by the same launch vehicle type in a calendar year. This surpassed the previous record held by Soyuz-U, which had 47 launches (45 successful) in 1979.[8] In 2023, the Falcon family of rockets (including the Falcon Heavy) had 96 successful launches, surpassing the 63 launches (61 successful) of the R-7 rocket family in 1980.[b][9]
The Falcon 9 has evolved through several versions: v1.0 was launched five times from 2010 to 2013, v1.1 launched 15 times from 2013 to 2016, Full Thrust launched 36 times from 2015 to 2015. The most recent version, Block 5, was introduced in May 2018.[10] With each iteration, the Falcon 9 has become more powerful and capable of vertical landing. As vertical landings became more commonplace, SpaceX focused on streamlining the refurbishment process for boosters, making it faster and more cost-effective.[11]
The Falcon Heavy derivative is a heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 first-stage boosters. The central core is reinforced, while the side boosters feature aerodynamic nosecone instead of the usual interstage.[12]
Falcon 9 first-stage boosters landed successfully in 382 of 394 attempts (97%), with 357 out of 362 (98.6%) for the Falcon 9 Block 5 version. A total of 357re-flights of first stage boosters have all successfully launched their second stages and, all but one, their payloads.
From June 2010, to the end of 2019, Falcon 9 was launched 77 times, with 75 full mission successes, one partial failure and one total loss of the spacecraft. In addition, one rocket and its payload were destroyed on the launch pad during the fueling process before a static fire test was set to occur. Falcon Heavy was launched three times, all successful.
The first Falcon 9 version, Falcon 9 v1.0, was launched five times from June 2010, to March 2013, its successor Falcon 9 v1.1 15 times from September 2013, to January 2016, and the Falcon 9 Full Thrust (through Block 4) 36 times from December 2015, to June 2018. The latest Full Thrust variant, Block 5, was introduced in May 2018,[13] and launched 21 times before the end of 2019.
From January 2020, to the end of 2022, Falcon 9 was launched 117 times, all successful, and landed boosters successfully on 111 of 114 attempts. Falcon Heavy was launched once and was successful, including landing of the mission's two side boosters.
2023
SpaceX shattered previous records in 2023, launching 96 Falcon family vehicles—91 Falcon 9 and five Falcon Heavy rockets. Surpassing both the company's own record of 61 and the global annual record of 64 launches, SpaceX came close to its ambitious goal of 100 Falcon launches.[14][15]
The company's payload delivery capacity also soared, with approximately 1,200 tonnes (2,600,000lb) sent to orbit, equivalent to 2.19 times the mass of a fully fueled Falcon 9 rocket.[16]
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to Sun-synchronous orbit.[18] It included six space tugs, also known as orbital transfer vehicles (OTV), which are two of D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carriers, Epic Aerospace's Chimera LEO 1, Momentus's Vigoride-5, Skykraft's OTV and Launcher's Orbiter SN1.[19][20] Orbiter SN1 failed shortly after deployment from Falcon and before deploying payloads. One of the payloads, EWS RROCI failed to deploy from Falcon 9 and the satellite re-entered with the upper stage.[21] This was not a SpaceX failure as brokered dispensers and deployers are used on Transporter missions.[22]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb suspended launches on Soyuz rockets.[24] In March 2022, OneWeb announced that they had signed an agreement with SpaceX to resume satellite launches.[25] This flight, the 16th of the OneWeb program and the second on a SpaceX rocket, carried 40 satellites.[26][27][28]
First launch of Phase 2 US Air Force contract. US$316 million cost for the fiscal year of 2022, for the first flight,[30] mostly includes the cost of an extended payload fairing, upgrades to the company's West Coast launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and a vertical integration facility required for NRO missions, while the launching price does not increase.[31] SpaceX deliberately expended the center core, which thus lacked grid fins and landing gear, while the two side-boosters were recovered at Landing Zones 1 and 2, and it was the fourth second stage featuring Falcon long coast mission-extension kit as the mission requirements are same as the USSF-44 mission.[32]
Global Positioning System navigation satellite, sixth GPS Block III satellite to be launched, named after Amelia Earhart. Space vehicle manufacturing contract awarded February 2013.[34] In September 2018, the space vehicle was integrating harnesses.[35] In March 2018, the Air Force announced it had awarded the launch contract for three GPS satellites to SpaceX.[36][37][38]
Launch of 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This was the heaviest payload to date flown on Falcon 9.[41]
Launch of 49 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 570km (350mi) orbit at an inclination of 70° to expand internet constellation. Also carried D-Orbit's ION SCV009 "Eclectic Elena."[43][44][45]
Launch of 55 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation.[53][54] This launch marked a new pad turnaround record for SpaceX, launching 5days, 3hours and 38minutes after the previous mission from SLC-40.[55]
Inmarsat maintained its launch option after a scheduled 2016 Falcon Heavy launch (a European Aviation Network satellite) was switched for an Ariane 5 launch in 2017.[58] This option could be used for launching Inmarsat-6B.[59] In February 2022, Inmarsat confirmed Inmarsat-6 F2 will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.[60][61] The satellite reached the supersynchronous geostationary transfer orbit of 387km ×41,592km (240mi ×25,844mi) inclined at 27°.[62]
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation.[64][65][66] This mission marked the debut of the v2mini satellites, a smaller version of the planned v2 satellites, which are to launch on the future Starship. The v2mini is 2.4 times the mass of its v1.5 predecessor but provides four times the data capacity.[67] Unlike the v1.5, the tension rods that hold the v2mini satellites together during launch, remain attached to the Falcon 9 second stage after deployment, reducing orbital debris.[68] This flight marked the 100th consecutive landing success of a Falcon9 booster since 16February 2021.
Last USCV launch out of original NASA award of six Crew Dragon missions, to carry up to four astronauts and 100kg (220lb) of cargo to the ISS, as well as feature a lifeboat function to evacuate astronauts from ISS in case of an emergency.[70][71]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb suspended launches on Soyuz rockets.[24] In March 2022, OneWeb announced they had signed an agreement with SpaceX to resume satellite launches.[25][27]
Three more CRS Phase 2 missions for Dragon 2 covering up to CRS-29 were announced in December 2020.[75] This flight used a partial boostback burn to bring the first-stage booster to its drone ship closer to the coast. The maneuver was meant to cut down processing time by decreasing the time spent moving the ship back for refurbishment.[76][77][78]
SpaceX launched two C-band satellites for SES, with the option to launch a third satellite on a second flight.[80][81] SpaceX set a new record for the shortest time between two Falcon9 launches at 4hours and 12minutes. The previous record time was 7hours and 10minutes, set between the Crew-5 and Starlink Group 4-29 missions on 5October 2022.
Launch of 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch marked the first time SpaceX completed eight launches in a calendar month.
First launch of SDA Transport and Tracking Layer satellites. Out of 10 satellites, 8 are York Space Systems built Transport layer satellites and 2 are SpaceX-Leidos built, Starlink-derived Tracking Layer satellites.[86] The Transport layer is an interoperable mesh network of satellites intended to provide periodic low-latency and high-capacity data connectivity, while the Tracking Layer consists of interconnected satellites with cross-links and wide field of view infrared sensors for hypersonic missile tracking.
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit. First flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.[91][92] Fifth mission featuring a second stage with a long coast mission-extension kit, accommodating the four second stage burns for payload deployment, excluding the deorbit burn.
This mission directly delivered the satellites to geostationary orbit, thus the core and side boosters were all expendable alongside having the sixth second stage featuring Falcon long coast mission-extension kit.[104] Satellites of the ViaSat-3 class use electric propulsion, which requires less fuel for stationkeeping operations over their lifetime,[101] making them the heaviest all-electric satellites ever launched into space. First mission to expend all three cores. GS-1 is a cubesat operated by Gravity Space on behalf of PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara who calls the satellite Nusantara-H1-A.
Iridium-9 rideshare mission, carrying five on-orbit spare Iridium-NEXT satellites along with 15 Gen1 and a demo Gen2 OneWeb satellites.[105] Second flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Axiom contracted for three additional private crewed missions in June 2021.[114]Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner were signed on as commander and pilot for Ax-2.[115][116] The third and fourth seats were bought by Saudi Arabia.[117] The Saudi crew members were revealed to be Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.[118] First time a booster landed on a ground pad after a crewed launch.
Launch of 52 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 570km (350mi) orbit at an inclination of 70° to expand internet constellation. The 200th consecutive successful Falcon 9 mission. This launch marked the first time SpaceX completed nine launches in a calendar month.
Three more CRS Phase 2 missions for Dragon 2 covering up to CRS-29 were announced in December 2020.[75] Third flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to Sun-synchronous orbit. Launcher's Orbiter SN3 vehicle[19] and the first Satellite Vu Mid-wave Infrared imaging satellite are expected to fly on this mission. This mission marked the 200th overall successful booster landing. Fourth flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Launch of 47 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch from Vandenberg achieved a record-breaking low orbital inclination of 43° for a rocket launched from the West Coast of the United States. Previous Starlink Group 9 launches to 43° had been conducted from the East Coast. Due to the unique orbital insertion, this launch carried nine fewer Starlink v1.5 satellites than a typical Group 9 launch, reducing weight by about 2,900kg (6,400lb).[130]
Launch of 48 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch was to a lower than normal orbital inclination for a West Coast launch, as launches to 43° are normally conducted from the East Coast. Due to the unique orbital insertion, this launch carried fewer Starlink satellites than a typical launch, reducing weight.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. On this flight, B1058 became the booster to launch and land 16 times.
Launch of 54 Starlink v1.5 satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Final launch of Starlink v1.5 satellites. This launch marked the second time a booster was being launched for the 16th time.
Launch of 15 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First Starlink v2mini launch from West Coast. This launch was to a lower than normal orbital inclination for a West Coast launch, as launches to 43° are normally conducted from the East Coast. Due to the unique orbital insertion, this launch carried fewer Starlink satellites than a typical launch, reducing weight.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. The launch occurred 4days, 3hours and 11minutes after SpaceX's previous mission from the same pad, setting a new record that was broken again ten days later with flight 244.
Largest and heaviest geostationary communication satellite ever launched.[141] Both side boosters returned to the launch site while the center core was expended.[142] First second stage featuring Falcon medium coast mission-extension kit.[143]
Intelsat originally contracted both SpaceX and Arianespace to launch its seventh C-band replacement satellite, Galaxy 37.[145] Launch was previously awarded to Arianespace.[146][147] Also known as Galaxy 13R, as it replaced Galaxy 13.[148] The spacecraft also contains a Ku-band payload known as Horizons-4, which is Japan-licensed.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch marked a turnaround record for SpaceX; the launch occurred 3days, 21hours and 41minutes after SpaceX's previous mission from SLC-40. The previous record was set the month before at the same launch pad.
Launch of 15 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch was to a lower than normal orbital inclination for a West Coast launch, as launches to 43° are normally conducted from the East Coast. Due to the unique orbital insertion, this launch carried fewer Starlink satellites than a typical launch, reducing weight.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. 1st time flying a fairing half for the 11th time. 100th launch of a batch of Starlink satellites (excluding launch of test satellites Tintin A&B).
After first six Crew Dragon launches of NASA USCV award, a further three missions for SpaceX were announced on 3 December 2021. These launches carry up to four astronauts and 100kg (220lb) of cargo to the ISS as well as feature a lifeboat function to evacuate astronauts from ISS in case of an emergency.[71][157]
Second launch of SDA Transport and Tracking Layer satellites. Originally intended to launch the remaining 18 satellites, but a late change reduced this to 13. One was York Space Systems built and 10 are Lockheed Martin-Tyvak Space systems built Transport layer satellites, and two were SpaceX/Leidos built, Starlink-derived Tracking layer satellites.[86] The Transport layer is an interoperable mesh network of satellites intended to provide periodic low-latency and high-capacity data connectivity, while the Tracking Layer consists of interconnected satellites with cross-links and wide field-of-view infrared sensors for hypersonic missile tracking. Fifth flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements. This was the 61st launch of a Falcon rocket this year, the same number of launches carried out in all of 2022.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. With this launch, SpaceX's Falcon family surpassed the yearly world record for most successful launches, previously set by the R-7 rocket family in 1980.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This was the 200th flight and 200th success of the Block 5 version of Falcon 9. SpaceX's Falcon family thus broke the yearly world record for most launches attempted (irrespective of launch outcome) by any rocket family, i.e., 64 set by the R-7 familyin 1980 after this launch.[166][167]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. SpaceX set a new record using the same booster for the 17th time.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Second booster to fly for the 17th time.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This launch marked the first time SpaceX completed ten launches in a calendar month.
Discovery Program mission designed to explore asteroid 16 Psyche to investigate the formation of the early Solar System.[177] Center core expended, while both side-boosters returned to Cape Canaveral for landings at LZ-1 and LZ-2.[178]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First time 23 Starlinks V2 Mini were launched and new Falcon 9 payload mass record of 18,400kg.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. New record of launching 22 Starlink v2mini satellites from the West Coast.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly for the 18th time.
Three more CRS Phase 2 missions for Dragon 2 covering up to CRS-29 were announced in December 2020.[75] The mission launched 2,381 kilograms (5,249lb) of pressurized cargo and 569 kilograms (1,254lb) of unpressurized cargo and then spent approximately one month on station. Among the cargo was station supplies and science experiments, including NASA's ILLUMA-T (Laser Communication from Space) and AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) experiments, and ESA's Aquamembrane-3 experiment.[188]
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to Sun-synchronous orbit. Sixth flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements. Momentus has announced that three sats manifested by them failed to deploy from the Transporter-9 mission. The satellites were destroyed when second stage deorbited.[190]
Third part of SES' MEO satellites for its O3b low-latency, high-performance connectivity services.[96] This is the first time a single booster launched for 8 times in a single calendar year.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First time SpaceX conducted 50th orbital launches in year from SLC-40.
A military satellite of South Korea with a mass of 800kg. EIRSAT-1 is an Irish 2U cubesat that carries a gamma-ray detector and an experiment of thermal coatings for other spacecraft.[200] SpaceX completing 250th landing of a Falcon first-stage booster this mission.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. SpaceX's 90th launch of the year including Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 200th landing on a droneship by a Falcon booster. Fastest turnaround of VandenbergSLC-4E pad at 6days, 13hours and 44minutes. USA broke the world record of most launches by a nation (108), held by Soviet Union in 1982.[204][205] SpaceX completed 100 launches in 365 days (a year) between 8 December 2022, 22:27 UTC and 8 December 2023, 8:03 UTC.[206]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly for the 19th time. Despite the landing being initially successful, the booster later tipped over during transit due to rough seas, high winds and waves, the stage was unable to be secured to the deck for recovery and later tipped over and was destroyed in transit. SpaceX has already equipped newer Falcon boosters with upgraded landing legs that have the capability to self-level and mitigate this type of issue.[209]
In January 2019, the satellites were expected to be launched between November 2020 and September 2021.[212] Seventh flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Classified payload contract awarded in June 2018 for US$130 million,[217] increased to $149.2 million in August 2021, due to "a change in the contract requirements" and was expected to be completed by 14 April 2022.[218] Draft solicitation said the launch was 6,350kg (14,000lb) to GTO.[219] A month before launch, the Air Force announced that the mission will fly the X-37B spaceplane.[220] Fourth flight of the second X-37B.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. SpaceX set a new record for the shortest time between two Falcon launches at 2hours and 54minutes. The previous record time was 4hours and 12minutes, set between the Starlink Group 2-8 and SES-18 & SES-19 missions on 17March 2023.
2024
As of 13 December, SpaceX has conducted 126 (124 Falcon 9 and two Falcon Heavy) launches in 2024, including the failed Starlink Group 9-3 mission. This shattered previous records made in 2023, surpassing both the company's own record and the global annual record of 98 launches (includes Starship launches).
The company had outlined ambitious launch targets for the year, with initial projections of approximately 144 launches, or an average of 12 per month, accounting for potential delays due to weather, technical issues, and scheduled maintenance.[222][223] However, subsequent statements from SpaceX leadership indicated a potential increase to 148 launches, an average of 13 launches per month.[224][225] Later in November 2024, due to launch or recovery failures leading to several mishap investigations and delays, SpaceX leadership lowered the year's launch projections to approximately 136 launches this year.[226]
SpaceX has demonstrated impressive launch rates in 2024, with a total payload mass to orbit exceeding 1,675 tonnes (3,693,000lb)—equivalent to 3.051 times the mass of a fully fueled Falcon 9 or 1.179 times the mass of a fully fueled Falcon Heavy rocket.[227]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites, including the first six to feature direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Broadband internet provider satellite.[230] First Falcon 9 launch to GTO with a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing. First commercial satellite with Roll Out Solar Array that was deployed on 10 January 2024.[231][232]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Falcon record for total time from hangar rollout to launch at 6 hours, 33 minutes.[234]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. Second booster to fly for the 18th time.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Shortest landing-to-landing turnaround of a droneship, at about 7 days. 300th successful mission for SpaceX.[237] Following this launch, SLC-40 was deactivated for planned maintenance and upgrades and would not see another flight until 30 January.[238]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. This landing marked the fastest turnaround of a droneship at just over 5 days. The launch also marked the fastest turnaround time of SLC-4E at 5 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes, and 20 seconds, beating previous record of 6.5 days.
First Cygnus flight on Falcon 9. Northrop Grumman acquired three flights from SpaceX while a replacement rocket stage is developed for its Antares rocket.[246] Eighth flight with short nozzle second stage, which has lower production cost and faster build time but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements. SpaceX modified the fairing to add a hatch for late cargo loads onto the spacecraft via mobile cleanroom.[247] Unmanned Enhanced Cygnus cargo spacecraft named in honor of Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson.
This was a mission to launch the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft, a 1.7 tonnes (3,700lb), US$800 million craft, that orbits at a 676km (420mi) altitude. It has the Ocean Color Imager intended to study phytoplankton in the ocean, as well as two polarimeters for studying properties of clouds, aerosols and the ocean. The launch price was US$80.4 million.[249]
Launch included two HBTSS and four SDA Tranche 0 Tracking Layer satellites. Launch part of Phase 2 US Space Force contract awarded in 2022.[252] Second time a second stage featured Falcon medium coast mission-extension kit. 1st time flying a fairing half for the 15th time.
Second mission of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and first private American company to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon. The lander carried five payloads of up to 100kg (220lb) total (LRA, NDL, LN-1, SCALPSS, and ROLSES), a deployable camera namely, EagleCam and transmit data from the lunar surface in a mission lasting 2 weeks.[254][255][256] The LC-39A pad's transporter erector was modified to fuel cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid methane into the payload before liftoff.[257]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. This mission marked the 300th Falcon 9 launch, the 200th consecutive successful landing of a booster, and the first time SpaceX launched three rockets within 24 hours. SpaceX removed the stiffener ring around the nozzle of Merlin Vacuum Engine on Starlink missions starting with this launch.[259]
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. This mission marked the second time a booster was flown for the 19th time and featured a Merlin engine that was being used on its 22nd mission beating its own record, having already surpassed Space Shuttle Main Engine no. 2019's record of 19 flights.[263]
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. New mass record on Falcon 9 taking 17,500kg (38,600lb) to low Earth orbit.[265]
After first six Crew Dragon launches of NASA USCV award, a further three missions for SpaceX were announced on 3 December 2021. These launches carry up to four astronauts and 100kg (220lb) of cargo to the ISS as well as feature a lifeboat function to evacuate astronauts from ISS in case of an emergency. SpaceX flew its 50th astronaut on this Crew Dragon launch.[268]
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit including the 1,000th satellite of SpaceX rideshare program.[270][271] Third time a second stage featured Falcon medium coast mission-extension kit.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. SpaceX set a new record for the shortest time between two Falcon launches at 1 hour and 51 minutes. The previous record time was 2 hours and 54 minutes, set between the USSF-52 (Boeing X-37B OTV-7) and Starlink Group 6–36 missions on December29, 2023. Thus for the first time, SpaceX launch operations for a mission coincided with that of a preceding launch (in this case, payload deployment of Transporter-10:(53 payloads SmallSat Rideshare).[273] It was a new record for the shortest time between three Falcon launches at 20 hours and 3 minutes. The previous record time was 23 hours and 4 minutes, set between flights 298 and 300 on 14/15 February 2024.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. First time 23 Starlink v2mini satellites are launched on a flight from Vandenberg.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 525km (326mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation and two SpaceX Starshield satellites as rideshare.[278][279]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Least time taken between landing and port's arrival at 50 hours and fastest turnaround of a pad switching from Dragon to Fairing mission, that was completed in 4 days.[284]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This marks the first time SpaceX has completed 12 Falcon launches in a calendar month.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including six with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to 45° inclination, 550–600km (340–370mi) altitude.[271][291] The mission includes flight 2 of 425 Project SAR satellite, a military satellite of South Korea with a mass of ~800kg (1,800lb).
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly for the 20th time, new record.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. 300th Falcon booster landing, including both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters.[299]
First Galileo satellites booked on a US rocket following delays to the European Ariane 6 program. The booster was expended on this mission due to the performance needed to get the payload to the desired 23,616km orbit.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. 300th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch.
Two Maxar Technologies satellites built by subsidiary SSL for subsidiary DigitalGlobe.[303] Ninth flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 530km (330mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly for the 21st time, new record.
EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) satellite was the sixth mission in ESA's Earth Explorer program.[318] Tenth flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements. This marked the first time SpaceX has completed 13 Falcon launches in a calendar month.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Fastest landing-to-landing turnaround of a drone ship, with A Shortfall of Gravitas having serviced the previous Starlink launch only 3days, 12hours prior.[320] First time SpaceX has completed 14 Falcon launches in a calendar month (the launch took place on the evening of 31 May local time).
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 300th Falcon 9 booster landing.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. Second booster to fly for the 21st time.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. A launch attempt on 14 June was scrubbed when B1073 commanded an abort seconds after engine ignition. The payload and second stage were moved to B1078 for launch.[327]
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
In September 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a $152.5 million contract to provide launch services for the GOES-19 weather satellite (known as GOES-U during launch).[331] Fourth time a second stage featured Falcon medium coast mission-extension kit.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly for the 22nd time, new record.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 100th Starlink satellite launched with direct-to-cell connectivity.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, that failed to reach the target orbit. The mission experienced a failure of its second stage. While the initial burn proceeded as planned, a subsequent liquid oxygen leak led to engine disintegration during a planned second burn.[338][339] Without the additional burn, all Starlink satellites were lost due to atmospheric drag.[340] The incident marked the first Falcon 9 Block 5 failure since its introduction, ending a streak of 325 consecutive successful Falcon 9 launches following the pre-flight anomaly of AMOS-6.[341][342] The FAA initiated a SpaceX-performed mishap investigation, halting Falcon 9 launches until concluding that no public safety risks were present.[343] The rocket was cleared to resume flight on 25 July 2024, though the overall investigation remained open.[344]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 300th Falcon first-stage reflight.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Second of three launches Northrop Grumman acquired from SpaceX while a replacement rocket stage is developed for its Antares rocket. Unmanned Enhanced Cygnus cargo spacecraft named in honor of Francis R. "Dick" Scobee. Eleventh flight with short nozzle second stage aimed at lowering costs and improving launch cadence, but is only suitable for missions with lower performance requirements.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Space Norway launched two satellites built by Inmarsat for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) system into highly elliptical Molniya transfer orbits[353] (apogee: 43,509km (27,035mi), perigee: 8,089km (5,026mi), 63.4° inclination) to provide communication coverage to high latitudes not served by geosynchronous satellites.[354][355][356] Second booster to fly for the 22nd time.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini-satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. The booster was making its 23rd flight, a new record. The booster caught fire during the touchdown, immediately tipped over, and was destroyed. This marked the first landing failure in over three years, ending a streak of 267 successful landings and the first failure on the A Shortfall of Gravitas platform.[363] The FAA required SpaceX to investigate the landing failure.[364][365] On Aug. 30, the FAA approved the request for SpaceX to return Falcon 9 to launch.[31]
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. New record for the time between missions from different pads, launching 1hour and 5minutes after the prior flight.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 21 Starshield satellites to 70° inclination orbit. Third of up to six launches of SpaceX/Northrop Grumman-built Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. Launch marked the 100th successful landing on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship.
First of two Crew Dragon missions for the Polaris Program. The rocket launched Crew Dragon with Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon into an elliptic orbit, reaching an altitude of 1,400 kilometers (870mi); the farthest anyone has been from Earth since NASA's Apollo program. During the five-day mission, Isaacman and Gillis performed the first commercial spacewalk.[371] The mission was also the first test of Dragon's laser interlink communication via Starlink.[372]Resilience has been modified extensively for this mission.[373]
Cellphone-compatible broadband constellation. Each satellite is a similar size and weight to its 1,500-kilogram (3,300lb) BlueWalker3 prototype and have a 64-square-meter (690sqft) phased array antenna.
Launch of 21 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Second and last launch of Galileo navigation satellites on Falcon 9. Originally planned to launch on Soyuz, but canceled after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Launch was shifted to the new Ariane 6 rocket, but the program was delayed.[378] On the previous Galileo launch, the booster was expended due to a lack of fuel for a landing. However, that launch provided data that allowed SpaceX to make design and operational changes to recover the booster on this launch. The company said this landing attempt would test the bounds of recovery.[377]
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). First crewed mission to launch from SLC-40.[382] The launch carried two members of the Expedition 72 crew, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, along with a small amount of cargo to the ISS.[71] Due to technical issues with the Boeing StarlinerCalypso the crew complement of the launch was reduced down to two and Barry E. Wilmore and Sunita Williams, the crew of the Boeing Crew Flight Test, joined the Crew-9 and Expedition 72 crew complement.[383] The second stage experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn that ran for an extra 500 milliseconds, and while it landed safely in the ocean, it landed short of the targeted area.[384] SpaceX said they would temporarily halt launches while time was spent understanding the root cause. Several days later the FAA said they would require an investigation into the failure before issuing a return to flight for the Falcon 9. It marked the third time in a span of three months that the Falcon 9 suffered an anomaly temporarily stopping launches.[385][386] On October 11, the FAA approved the Falcon 9 to return to flight for low-Earth orbit missions, after granting approval for the Hera launch due to its heliocentric orbit.[387]
Hera is a European Space Agency mission under its Space Safety program. Its primary goal is to study the aftermath of NASA's DART mission, which intentionally collided with the Didymos binary asteroid system. By analyzing the crater formed and the momentum transferred during the impact, Hera will help validate the kinetic impact method as a potential strategy for deflecting a near-Earth asteroid on a collision course with Earth. The mission will provide data on the efficiency of this technique. It also carries two nano-satellite CubeSats, called Milani and Juventas. This was the second booster to complete its 23rd flight. Although the Falcon 9 remained unable to launch following the Crew-9 mishap, the FAA granted an exemption for the Hera launch, as it did not involve a second-stage reentry.[389]
Europa Clipper will conduct a detailed survey of Europa and use a sophisticated suite of science instruments to investigate whether the icy moon has conditions suitable for life. Key mission objectives are to produce high-resolution images of Europa's surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing geological activity, measure the thickness of the moon's icy shell, search for subsurface lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa's ocean.[391][392] The spacecraft will fly past Mars and Earth before arriving at Jupiter in April 2030.[393][394] At 45,648km/h (28,364mph) the launch had the highest-speed payload injection ever achieved by SpaceX, however to reach that speed, the core and side boosters were expended.[395][396]
Launch of 23 Starlink v2 mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. This was the 100th SpaceX launch this year, a first by any launch agency in a particular calendar year.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. With this launch, SpaceX's Falcon family surpassed the yearly world record for most launches attempted, previously set by themselves last year.
Launch of 20 OneWeb satellites to expand internet constellation. 12th flight with short nozzle second stage. This was the 100th Falcon launch this year, the first by any rocket family in a particular calendar year. Moreover, with this launch, SpaceX's Falcon family surpassed the yearly world record for most successful launches, previously set by themselves last year.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. This was the 100th Falcon launch attempt this year.
Fourth of up to six launches of SpaceX/Northrop Grumman-built Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. This was the 100th successful Falcon 9 launch this year, a record.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 279km (173mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 100th successful Falcon 9 booster landing in 2024, a record.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 200th launch of dedicated starlink missions.
Carried 2,762kg (6,089lb) of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).[407] CRS-31 is the first Dragon scheduled to perform a test "reboost" of the ISS on 8 November 2024, burning its aft-facing Draco thrusters for 12.5 minutes to counteract atmospheric drag on the station.[408]
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
South Korean communications satellite built on the Spacebus-4000B2 platform. To be positioned at 116° east.[412][413] First booster to successfully complete 23 launches and landings, surpassing booster B1062, which experienced a landing failure on its 23rd flight.
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Second Starlink v2mini mission to launch 24 satellites, the first was Group 6-39, launched on flight F9-303 in February 2024.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First time SpaceX has completed 17 Falcon launches in 31 days.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. One of the fairing halves flew for a record 21st time. SLC-40 broke its own record for most launches from a single launch pad with 56 launches in this year, up from 55 launches last year.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 400th launch of Falcon 9 launch vehicle and 100th launch from SLC-4E.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 12 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. New first stage turnaround record of 13days, 12hours, and 44minutes from this booster's previous launch (Flight 393) on 11 November, the previous record was 21 days.[425]
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. 400th successful mission and Falcon's 375th overall successful landing.
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First time SpaceX has completed 15 Falcon launches in a calendar month
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, with fifth of up to six launches of SpaceX/Northrop Grumman-built Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office as rideshare. First time SpaceX has completed 16 Falcon and 17 SpaceX (including Starship IFT-6) launches in a calendar month.
Launch of 24 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. First booster to fly 24th time, new record.
Launch of 20 Starlink v2 mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation.
SXM-9 is a high-powered digital audio radio satellite for SiriusXM. Manufactured by Maxar Technologies on their 1300-class platform, the SXM-9 features a reflector that can unfurl to span nearly 10 meters (33ft) to transmit.[432] 100th booster landing on JRTI.
Launch of 23 Starlink v2mini satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation. Booster 1086, used on this mission, was previously used as a Falcon Heavy side booster on the GOES-U mission. This marks the second time (after B1052) SpaceX has converted a Falcon Heavy side booster into a traditional Falcon 9.
Launch of 22 Starlink v2mini satellites to a 535km (332mi) orbit at an inclination of 53° to expand internet constellation. 100th landing on droneship in 2024, a record.
Future launches
Future launches are listed chronologically when firm plans are in place. The order of the later launches is much less certain. Tentative launch dates and mission details are sourced from multiple locations.[432][435][436][437] Launches are expected to take place "no earlier than" (NET) the listed date. The number of Starlink satellites per launch indicated with an "~" is an expectation based on previous launches to the same orbit, as the exact number is rarely published more than three days in advance.
In August 2020, SES expanded the O3b mPOWER contract with two additional launches, raising the number of satellites from 7 to 11 satellites at nearly 2 tons each.[440][441] In October 2023 the mission was delayed to the second half of 2024 due to electrical issues discovered in the first four satellites of the constellation.[442]
Dedicated Falcon 9 launch to put four Astranis MicroGEO communications satellites into service. The MicroGEOs will be launched to a custom geostationary orbit, with the four satellites individually conducting on-orbit maneuvers to inject themselves into their orbital slots. However, it is unclear whether this will be a direct to geostationary orbit insertion, or an optimized geostationary transfer orbit. The four spacecraft will be mounted to a standard adapter ring, known as an ESPA-Grande, for ease of deployment.[443][444][445]
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to 45 degree inclination 550–600km altitude. 425 Project Flight 3 is a military satellite of South Korea with a mass of ~800kg.[446]
Launch of ~23 Starlink v2mini satellites, including ~13 with direct-to-cell connectivity, to a 559km (347mi) orbit at an inclination of 43° to expand internet constellation.
Eighth batch of SpaceX/Northrop Grumman-built satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.
2025
The company had outlined ambitious launch targets for the year, with initial projections of more than 150 launches, or an average of 12-13 per month, accounting for potential delays due to weather, technical issues, and scheduled maintenance.[452]
Intuitive Machines is sending its second lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, with a projected launch time frame in January 2025. In February 2024, Intuitive Machines completed its first lander mission via SpaceX, which also hosted payloads for other private companies seeking to make lunar landfall under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. NASA's PRIME-1 is expected to be included.[455] The Sherpa-ES Go Beyond orbital transfer vehicle will deploy rideshare payloads to trans-lunar orbit, low-lunar orbit and beyond to GEO.[456][457][458] NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission will fly as a secondary payload on this mission.[459]
Firefly Aerospace has selected SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the Blue Ghost lunar lander to the lunar surface.[465] Blue Ghost will carry 10 payloads for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order 19D mission along with other separately contracted payloads.[466]
Communications satellite built on the Eurostar-Neo platform, to be utilized by the Spanish government and its allies.[468] First of two launches for the Spainsat-NG program.
Third of three launches Northrop Grumman acquired from SpaceX while a replacement rocket stage is developed for its Antares rocket. Unmanned Enhanced Cygnus cargo spacecraft.
In September 2020, NASA selected SpaceX to launch the IMAP mission, which will help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, a magnetic barrier surrounding our solar system. The total launch cost is approximately US$109.4 million. The secondary payloads include two NASA heliophysics missions of opportunity and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) mission.[473]
Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) is a Small Explorers program mission. Expected to be part of a rideshare mission.[475]
Communications satellite built on the Eurostar-Neo platform, to be utilized by the Spanish government and its allies.[468] Second of two launches for the Spainsat-NG program.
1600kg 2.5 metre diameter reduced scale test of a reentry capsule, the full-scale version Nyx (4 metre diameter 8000kg) is planned to deliver payloads to the ISS and return them back to Earth.[481]
Astrobotic's Griffin lunar lander was originally expected to deliver NASA's VIPER rover to the lunar south pole prior to its cancellation. Booster recovery method is unconfirmed, but could possibly feature the first Falcon Heavy center core recovery attempt since STP-2.[491] Amidst cost growth and delays to readiness of the rover and the Griffin lander, the VIPER program was ended in July 2024, with the rover planned to be disassembled and its instruments and components reused for other lunar missions.[492][493][494] The agency still plans to support the Griffin lander to arrive on the moon in fall of 2025, though with a mass simulator in place of the VIPER rover.[495] NASA expects the primary objectives of VIPER to be fulfilled by an array of other missions planned for the next several years.[494]
Third mission for Intuitive Machines, with multiple rideshare payloads.[497] This mission was selected by NASA under the CLPS program in November 2021.[498][499]
In August 2020, SES expanded the O3b mPOWER contract with a fourth launch.[441][511] In October 2023 the mission was delayed to 2025 due to electrical issues discovered in the first four satellites of the constellation.[442]
Cellphone-compatible broadband constellation. The next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites delivers 10x the bandwidth of BlueBird Block 1 satellites, allowing continuous cellular broadband service coverage. They will feature a ~2,400sqft (220m2) communications array, the largest ever developed commercially.[515]
Cellphone-compatible broadband constellation. The next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites delivers 10x the bandwidth of BlueBird Block 1 satellites, allowing continuous cellular broadband service coverage. They will feature a ~2,400sqft (220m2) communications array, the largest ever developed commercially.[515]
Announced in September 2022, Arabsat 7A will enter a geostationary orbit after its launch by a Falcon 9 rocket. The first stage will be expended in this mission.
In June 2022, NASA announced it purchased an additional 5 crewed flights from SpaceX in addition to the previous 9 missions on top of the $3.5 billion contract.[530]
First two Gateway space station modules as part of the Artemis program, awarded in February 2021. The launch will cost NASA $331.8 million and will utilize Falcon Heavy's extended fairing.
In March 2020, NASA announced its first contract for the Gateway Logistics Services that guarantees at least two launches on a new variant of the Dragon spacecraft that will carry over 5 tonnes of cargo to the Lunar Gateway on 6–12 months long missions.[544][545]
On 4 June 2010, the first Falcon 9 launch successfully placed a test payload into the intended orbit.[549] The second launch of Falcon 9 was COTS Demo Flight 1, which placed an operational Dragon capsule in orbit on 8 December 2010.[550] The capsule re-entered the atmosphere after two orbits, allowing for testing the reentry procedures. The capsule was recovered off the coast of Mexico[551] and then placed on display at SpaceX headquarters.[552] The remaining objectives of the NASA COTS qualification program were combined into a single Dragon C2+ mission, on the condition that all milestones would be validated in space before berthing Dragon to the ISS.[553] The Dragon capsule was propelled to orbit in May 2012, and following successful tests in the next days it was grabbed with the station's robotic arm (Canadarm2) and docked to the ISS docking port for the first time on 25 May. After successfully completing all the return procedures, the recovered Dragon C2+ capsule was put on display at Kennedy Space Center.[554] Thus, Falcon 9 and Dragon became the first fully commercially developed launcher to deliver a payload to the International Space Station, paving the way for SpaceX and NASA to sign the first Commercial Resupply Services agreement for cargo deliveries.[555]
The first operational cargo resupply mission to ISS, the fourth flight of Falcon 9, was launched in October 2012. An engine suffered a loss of pressure at 76 seconds after liftoff, which caused an automatic shutdown of that engine, but the remaining eight first-stage engines continued to burn and the Dragon capsule reached orbit successfully and thus demonstrated the rocket's "engine out" capability in flight.[556] Due to ISS visiting vehicle safety rules, at NASA's request, the secondary payload Orbcomm-2 was released into a lower-than-intended orbit.[557] Despite this incident, Orbcomm said they gathered useful test data from the mission and later in 2014, launched more satellites via SpaceX.[558] The mission continued to rendezvous and berth the Dragon capsule with the ISS where the ISS crew unloaded its payload and reloaded the spacecraft with cargo for return to Earth.[559]
Following unsuccessful attempts at recovering the first stage with parachutes, SpaceX upgraded to a much larger first stage booster and with greater thrust, termed Falcon 9 v1.1, and performed a demonstration flight of this version in September 2013.[560] After the second stage separation and delivering CASSIOPE, a very small payload relative to the rocket's capability, SpaceX conducted a novel high-altitude, high-velocity flight test wherein the booster attempted to reenter the lower atmosphere in a controlled manner and decelerate to a simulated over-water landing.[561]
Loss of CRS-7 mission
SpaceX CRS-7 disintegrating two minutes after liftoff, as seen from a NASA tracking camera.
Performance was nominal until T+140 seconds into launch when a cloud of white vapor appeared, followed by rapid loss of second-stage LOX tank pressure. The booster continued on its trajectory until complete vehicle breakup at T+150 seconds. The Dragon capsule was ejected from the disintegrating rocket and continued transmitting data until impact with the ocean. SpaceX officials stated that the capsule could have been recovered if the parachutes had deployed; however, the Dragon software did not include any provisions for parachute deployment in this situation.[564] Subsequent investigations traced the cause of the accident to the failure of a strut that secured a helium bottle inside the second-stage LOX tank. With the helium pressurization system integrity breached, excess helium quickly flooded the tank, eventually causing it to burst from overpressure.[565][566] NASA's independent accident investigation into the loss of SpaceX CRS-7 found that the failure of the strut which led to the breakup of the Falcon-9 represented a design error. Specifically, that industrial grade stainless steel had been used in a critical load path under cryogenic conditions and flight conditions, without additional part screening, and without regard to manufacturer recommendations.[567]
After pausing launches for months, SpaceX launched on 22 December 2015, the highly anticipated return-to-flight mission after the loss of CRS-7. This launch inaugurated a new Falcon 9 Full Thrust version of its flagship rocket featuring increased performance, notably thanks to subcooling of the propellants. After launching a constellation of 11 Orbcomm-OG2 second-generation satellites,[568] the first stage performed a controlled-descent and landing test for the eighth time, SpaceX attempted to land the booster on land for the first time. It managed to return the first stage successfully to the Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral, marking the first successful recovery of a rocket first stage that launched a payload to orbit.[569] After recovery, the first stage booster performed further ground tests and then was put on permanent display outside SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.[570]
On 8 April 2016, SpaceX delivered its commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station marking the return-to-flight of the Dragon capsule, after the loss of CRS-7. After separation, the first-stage booster slowed itself with a boostback maneuver, re-entered the atmosphere, executed an automated controlled descent and landed vertically onto the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, marking the first successful landing of a rocket on a ship at sea.[571] This was the fourth attempt to land on a drone ship, as part of the company's experimental controlled-descent and landing tests.[572]
On 1 September 2016, the 29th Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launchpad while propellant was being loaded for a routine pre-launch static fire test. The payload, Israeli satellite AMOS-6, partly commissioned by Facebook, was destroyed with the launcher.[573] On 2 January 2017, SpaceX released an official statement indicating that the cause of the failure was a buckled liner in several of the COPV tanks, causing perforations that allowed liquid and/or solid oxygen to accumulate underneath the COPVs carbon strands, which were subsequently ignited possibly due to friction of breaking strands.[574]
Zuma was a classified United States government satellite and was developed and built by Northrop Grumman at an estimated cost of US$3.5 billion.[575] Its launch, originally planned for mid-November 2017, was postponed to 8 January 2018 as fairing tests for another SpaceX customer were assessed. Following a successful Falcon 9 launch, the first-stage booster landed at LZ-1.[576] Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Zuma spacecraft was lost,[577] with claims that either the payload failed following orbital release, or that the customer-provided adapter failed to release the satellite from the upper stage, while other claims argued that Zuma was in orbit and operating covertly.[577] SpaceX's COO Gwynne Shotwell stated that their Falcon 9 "did everything correctly" and that "Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false".[577] A preliminary report indicated that the payload adapter, modified by Northrop Grumman after purchasing it from a subcontractor, failed to separate the satellite from the second stage under the zero gravity conditions.[578][575] Due to the classified nature of the mission, no further official information is expected.[577]
On 2 March 2019, SpaceX launched its first orbital flight of Dragon2 (Crew Dragon). It was an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station. The Dragon contained a mannequin named Ripley, which was equipped with multiple sensors to gather data about how a human would feel during the flight. Along with the mannequin was 300 pounds of cargo of food and other supplies.[583] Also on board was Earth plush toy referred to as a "Super high tech zero-g indicator".[584] The toy became a hit with astronaut Anne McClain, who showed the plushy on the ISS each day[585] and also deciding to keep it on board to experience the crewed SpX-DM2.
The Dragon spent six days in space, including five days docked to the International Space Station. During the time, various systems were tested to make sure the vehicle was ready for US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to fly in it in 2020. The Dragon undocked and performed a re-entry burn before splashing down on 8March 2019, at 08:45EST, 320km (200mi) off the coast of Florida.[586]
SpaceX held a successful launch of the first commercial orbital human space flight on 30May 2020, crewed with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. Both astronauts focused on conducting tests on the Crew Dragon capsule. Crew Dragon successfully returned to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico on 2August 2020.[587]
Starlink 9-3 upper stage anomaly
On July 12, 2024, SpaceX launched a group of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. While the booster performed nominally, including a successful droneship landing, the upper stage failed to relight for a second burn, with ice appearing to accumulate around the engine during the first burn due to a liquid oxygen leak that developed from vibrational fatigue which led to a crack in a pressure sensor line.[588] The satellites were deployed from the upper stage into the lower initial parking orbit with a perigee of 135km, less than half the targeted perigee.[494] After separation, the satellites were commanded to burn their ion thrusters. SpaceX modified the satellite software so the thrusters would produce as much thrust as possible.[589] Despite this, all of the satellites re-entered the atmosphere following the launch.[590] This launch was the first Falcon 9 Block 5 or Falcon 9 Full Thrust failure thereby ending the Guinness World Record of 325 successful Falcon 9 launches since the pre-flight anomaly of AMOS-6.[341][342]
SpaceX has developed a program to reuse the first-stage booster, setting multiple booster reflight records:
B1021 became, on 30 March 2017, the first booster to be successfully recovered a second time, on Flight32 launching the SES-10 satellite. After that, it was retired and put on display at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[591]
B1046, the first Block 5 booster, became the first to launch three times, carrying Spaceflight SSO-A on 3December 2018.
B1048 was the first booster to be recovered four times on 11November 2019, and the first to perform a fifth flight on 18March 2020, but the booster was lost during re-entry.
B1049 was the first booster to be recovered five times on 4June 2020, six times on 18August 2020, and seven times on 25November 2020.
B1051 became the first booster to be recovered eight times on 20January 2021, nine times on 14March 2021, and ten times on 9May 2021, achieving one of SpaceX's milestone goals for reuse. It then became the first booster to be recovered eleven times on 18December 2021, and twelve times on 19March 2022.[592][593][594][595]
B1060 became the first booster to be recovered 13 times on 17June 2022.
B1058 became the first booster to be recovered 14 times on 11September 2022, 15 times on 17December 2022, 16 times on 10July 2023, 17 times on 20September 2023, 18 times on 4November 2023, and 19 times on 23December 2023. It landed safely after its 19th flight, but tipped over during the journey back to land and was destroyed.
B1062 became the first booster to be recovered twenty times on 13April 2024, 21 times on 18May 2024, and 22 times on 27June 2024. It successfully flew and delivered its payload to orbit on its 23rd flight on 28 August 2024, but tipped over after catching fire during the landing and was destroyed.
B1067 became the first booster to be recovered 23 times on 11 November 2024 and flown and recovered 24 times on 4 December 2024.
Other reuse milestones
B1080 holds the record for fastest turnaround at 14days. It launched on 11November and again on 25November 2024.[26]
B1069 launched and returned a hosted box containing two FIFA2022 World CupAdidas Al Rihla soccer balls on 15 October 2022 for a sub-orbital flight, the first payload on a Falcon 9 booster.[596]
B1061 became the only booster on 30 December 2022 to launch from all SpaceX's different launch sites and land on all of SpaceX's different landing zones and drone ships (except rarely used LZ-2 that is located nearby LZ-1).
B1080 became the first booster to land onshore after launching a crewed mission (Ax-2) on 21 May 2023.
↑ The AMOS-6 spacecraft was destroyed in a static fire test prior to its planned launch; the mission is counted as a failure but not as a launch.
↑ There was also an on-pad explosion; sometimes it is counted as a launch, resulting in 64 launches.
↑ Controlled descent; ocean touchdown control failed; no recovery
↑ Passive reentry failed before parachute deployment
↑ Controlled descent; soft vertical ocean touchdown; no recovery
1 2 3 4 5 Falcon 9 first-stage boosters have a four-digit serial number. A decimal point followed by a number indicates the flight count. For example, B1021.1 and B1021.2 represent the first and second flights of booster B1021. Boosters without a decimal point were expended on their first flight. Additionally, missions where boosters are making their first flight are shown with a mint-colored background.
1 2 3 4 5 Dragon spacecraft have a three-digit serial number. A decimal point followed by a number indicates the flight count. For example, C106.1 and C106.2 represent the first and second flights of Dragon C106.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Many Transporter and Bandwagon payloads are not public, or don't have a publicly revealed mass. SpaceX has not published a payload mass estimate for this mission.
Related Research Articles
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase near Brownsville, Texas. Since its founding in 2001, the company has made numerous advancements in rocket propulsion, reusable launch vehicle, human spaceflight and satellite constellation technology. As of 2024, SpaceX is the world's dominant space launch provider, its launch cadence eclipsing all others, including private competitors and national programs like the Chinese space program. SpaceX, NASA and the United States Armed Forces work closely together by means of governmental contracts.
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on 4 June 2010, and the first 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. The Falcon 9 has an exceptional safety record, with 407 successful launches, two in-flight failures, one partial failure and one pre-flight destruction. It is the most-launched American orbital rocket in history.
Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) is a launch and landing site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, U.S. It has two pads, both of which are used by SpaceX for Falcon 9, one for launch operations, and the other as Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) for SpaceX landings.
Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX.
An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is a modified ocean-going barge equipped with propulsion systems to maintain precise position and a large landing platform. SpaceX developed these vessels to recover the first stage of its launch vehicles. By recovering and reusing these boosters, SpaceX has significantly reduced the cost of space launch.
Falcon 9 Full Thrust is a partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. It is the third major version of the Falcon 9 family, designed starting in 2014, with its first launch operations in December 2015. It was later refined into the Block 4 and Block 5. As of 8 December 2024, all variants of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust had performed 390 launches with only one failure: Starlink Group 9-3.
This article documents notable spaceflight events during the year 2020.
Falcon 9 Block 5 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. It is the fifth major version of the Falcon 9 family and the third version of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust. It is powered by Merlin 1D engines burning rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX).
Falcon 9 booster B1058 was a reusable Falcon 9 Block 5 first-stage booster manufactured by SpaceX. B1058 was the first Falcon 9 booster to fly fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen times and broke a turnaround record on its later flights. Its first flight was for Crew Dragon Demo-2, the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company. The booster was the first and only Falcon 9 booster to feature NASA's worm logo and meatball insignia, which was reintroduced after last being used in 1992. The booster was destroyed after successfully landing on the autonomous spaceport drone ship, Just Read the Instructions. B1058 toppled over as the drone ship sailed toward Port Canaveral in rough seas.
Falcon 9 B1060 was a Falcon 9 first-stage booster manufactured and operated by SpaceX. It was the senior active booster vehicle for the company since the demise of B1058 on 25 December 2023 during transit back to shore, until being expended for the Galileo FOC FM25 & FM27 mission on 28 April 2024. It had flown 20 missions and landed 19 times.
↑ Krebs, Gunter. "EWS RROCI". Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
↑ Volosín, Juan I. Morales (10 April 2023). "Transporter-7 | Falcon 9 Block 5". Everyday Astronaut. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023. Customer and spacecraft manufacturers: those interested in having a payload in space and those who provide the platform, the instruments on board, or both (the payload itself). Launch/integration service providers: those who broker rideshare flights, offer last-mile trips (via space tugs), care for meeting regulations, provide dispensers or separation systems, and so on. Launch provider: SpaceX, responsible for the launch itself and correctly reaching the intended deployment orbit.
↑ Krebs, Gunter (1 November 2020). "Galaxy 31, 32, 35, 36, 37". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
↑ "Psyche Overview". nasa.gov. NASA. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
↑ "Starlink Mission". SpaceX. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024. Falcon 9's second stage performed its first burn nominally, however a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage. After a planned relight of the upper stage engine to raise perigee – or the lowest point of orbit – the Merlin Vacuum engine experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn. This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit with a very low perigee of 135km, which is less than half the expected perigee altitude. [...] At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites.
↑ "ASBM Mission". SpaceX. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024. SpaceX launched the Space Norway Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission mission (ASBM) to Molniya transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
↑ Foust, Jeff (14 October 2024). "Europa Clipper ready for launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 24 October 2024. At the briefing, Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA science missions at SpaceX, said on the Crew-9 flight the upper stage's single Merlin engine "continued to produce thrust for about 500 milliseconds after the shutdown was commanded." A backup command was sent to close valves to shut down the engine.
↑ @spaceflightnow (6 October 2024). "Here's the FAA's statement regarding the Hera mission launch" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 October 2024– via Twitter. The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle is authorized to return to flight only for the planned Hera mission scheduled to launch on Oct. 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The FAA has determined that the absence of a second stage reentry for this mission adequately mitigates the primary risk to the public in the event of a reoccurrence of the mishap experienced with the Crew-9 mission. Safety will drive the timeline for the FAA to complete its review of SpaceX's Crew-9 mishap investigation report and when the agency will authorize Falcon 9 to return to regular operations.
↑ "Maxar Technowlegies: Quarter ending September 2022"(PDF). 3 November 2023. Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022. We are nearing completion of the software validation process, and expect the first launch of the WorldView Legion satellites to be in January 2023 assuming no major issues arise. The second launch of the WorldView Legion satellites is still expected to be approximately two months after the first launch.
↑ Foust, Jeff (17 July 2024). "NASA cancels VIPER lunar rover". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 July 2024. NASA said Griffin was now expected to be ready for the mission no earlier than September 2025.
1 2 3 4 Grush, Loren (9 January 2018). "Did SpaceX's secret Zuma mission actually fail?". The Verge. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018. Rumors started circulating on Monday that the satellite malfunctioned when it reached orbit, and both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have reported that Zuma actually fell back to Earth and burned up in the planet's atmosphere. [...] SpaceX said that the Falcon 9 rocket, which carried Zuma to orbit, performed as it was supposed to. [...] "For clarity: after review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night", [Gwynne Shotwell] said. "If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will report it immediately. Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false". She added that the company cannot comment further due to the classified nature of the mission. [...] Of course, Northrop Grumman won't comment on the launch.
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