| Space Launch Report: SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 Data Sheet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home On the Pad Space Logs Library Links | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1Updated September 21, 2014 On April 27, 2013, Elon Musk tweeted a photograph showing the base of the first Falcon 9 v1.1 first stage on the big stand at McGregor, though only through a misty cloud of smoke during an ignitor test. The photo confirmed the long-suspected octagonal arrangement of Merlin 1D engines. Merlin 1D, Falcon Heavy, and Falcon 9 v1.1 By the end of 2010, SpaceX had completed development and two flight tests of its Merlin 1C-powered Falcon 9. For several years the company had discussed a more powerful Falcon 9 version that would be powered by a higher-thrust Merlin engine, but an official effort was not announced until April 5, 2011. On that date SpaceX announced that it would develop a new rocket. Press attention focused on the triple-body Falcon Heavy rocket shown in press release materials, but the real story was about the new upgraded Merlin 1D engine that would power the rocket, and about a new two-stage core version that would become known as Falcon 9 v1.1. Each of the Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin 1D
engines would produce 63.5 tonnes thrust at sea level, nearly 1.5 times more than the
Merlin 1C engines that powered the first two Falcon 9 rockets. Using the new
engines, combined with propellant crossfeeding from the twin boosters to the central core,
Falcon Heavy would be able to lift a surprising 53 tonnes to LEO, 19 tonnes to GTO, or
13.6 tonnes toward Mars. Plans called for the first Falcon Heavy to fly a
demonstration mission in 2013 from Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4 East, the former
Titan 4 pad.
Falcon 9 v1.1 was divulged with much less fanfare. It would be a two-stage rocket powered by nine Merlin 1D engines off the pad. This Falcon 9, substantially more capable than either Falcon 9 or the originally planned Falcon 9 Block 2 version, would, according to a briefly released information sheet that was swiftly withdrawn, would be able to lift 16 tonnes to LEO or 5 tonnes to GTO, would stand 69.2 meters, and would weigh 480 tonnes at liftoff. The company continued to show Falcon 9 Block 2 as the baseline in its Payload Users Guide, but Falcon 9 v1.1 clearly was more than a "block" upgrade. Weighing 50% more, standing one-third taller, powered by brand new engines, using new tank and thrust structures, and using new launch equipment, Falcon 9 v1.1 was for all practical purposes a brand new rocket. On April 25, 2011, Elon Musk, in a Space News interview, confirmed that Falcon Heavy would use a "stretched" Falcon 9 stage augmented by two additional "first stages". He stated that Merlin 1D would fly in mid-2012 on a Falcon 9 mission, most likely on the seventh flight of the rocket. (This, of course, turned out to be over-optimistic.) Mr. Musk described how the Merlin 1D combustion chamber was being explosively formed, streamlining the production process. He noted that a fully integrated Merlin 1D was already being test-fired. Design details of Falcon Heavy, and of Merlin 1D performance, were not provided at the time. In order to achieve the payload capability claimed by SpaceX, the new rocket engine would have to provide improved specific impulse and the stages would have to provide very high, almost unrealistic and certainly unprecedented, propellant mass ratios. SpaceX claimed that the two "first stage" strap-on units would achieve a 30 to 1 gross mass to dry mass ratio, implying an unprecedented propellant mass fraction of better than 0.966. Beginning in 2012, drawings of Falcon Heavy began to
show boosters that were longer than the core first stage, implying a larger propellant
loading for the boosters than the core. The drawings showed booster propellant tanks
that were about 10 to 15 percent longer than the core tanks.
Falcon 9 Block 1 and Falcon 9 v1.1 Comparison Falcon 9 v1.1 itself was not named in public until May 14, 2012, when NASA announced that it had modified its Launch Services (NLS) II contract with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) by adding a new "Falcon 9 v1.1" variant to the program. The modification allowed SpaceX to offer "Falcon 9 v1.1" in competition for future launch contracts. An image of "Falcon 9 v1.1" was provided during a presentation made on March 9, 2012 by Jeffrey White, an Iridium Director. The image showed a stretched Falcon 9, with both stages stretched. It also showed, compared to Falcon 9 Block 1, shortened interstage and propulsion sections. The bigger rocket appeared to be outfitted with Merlin 1D engines, possibly in a rearranged configuration. An octagonal arrangement, with a ninth, center engine, was suspected by outside observers.
"Falcon 9 v1.1" represented an improvement over the long-expected "Falcon 9 Block 2" that, originally, was to be powered by improved Merlin 1C engines. The SpaceX user's guide continued to show outmoded "Block 2" performance data as of May 14, 2012, but the SpaceX web site was updated with v1.1 performance numbers on June 6 or 7, 2011. Payload to was shown to be 13.15 tonnes to a 185 km x 28.5 deg low earth orbit, 4.85 tonnes to a 185 x 35,788 km x 28.5 deg geosynchronous transfer orbit, or 2.9 tonnes to escape velocity. The Merlin 1D powered "Falcon 9 v1.1" was apparently set to be the building block for the company's announced Falcon Heavy, but "v1.1" clearly would be a substantial performer in its own right, pushing deep into EELV payload territory. In early August, 2013, SpaceX provided updated
performance details for Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 v1.1. Falcon Heavy still hauled 53
tonnes to LEO. GTO performance was upgraded to 21.2 tonnes while trans-Mars
performance fell to 13.2 tonnes. Falcon 9 v1.1 performance was still 13.15 tonnes
LEO or 4.85 tonnes GTO, but gross liftoff mass had risen to as much as 505.846 tonnes.
Liftoff thrust was 600.109 tonnes for v1.1 and 1,800.327 tonnes for Heavy.
Falcon 9 v1.1 was expected to premier at Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4 East during 2013. During a May 18, 2012 interview, Elon Musk said that all Falcon 9 rockets after the first five would be 1.1 versions. He also referred to the original Falcon 9 as "v1.0". A massive construction effort neared completion at SLC 4E during early 2013. The rebuilt flat pad had a massive fixed launch vehicle erector similar to the type used by Delta IV. It also had a big horizontal hangar connected to the pad by a curved roadway, consistent with use of a wheeled transporter. An extension of the Cape Canaveral SLC
40 Hangar was noted during May, 2012 to accomodate the longer rocket. Construction
of a new transporter/erector system at SLC 40 was being performed during the early months
of 2013.
Merlin 1D Development Testing During 2012 Merlin 1D development was well underway by the time of the April 2011 announcement. Its explosively formed chamber dispensed with the tube-wall chamber construction of the Merlin 1C. The engine as originally announced would produce 63.5 tonnes thrust at sea level and 70.31 tonnes thrust in vacuum. Its vacuum specific impulse was target to be 310 seconds. The engine had an expansion ratio of 16, a chamber pressure of 1,410 psi, and an ability to throttle down to 70%. It also would have an unprecedented 150:1 vacuum thrust to weight ratio. During the August 2011 Joint Propulsion Conference, SpaceX VP of Propulsion Tom Mueller said that the Merlin 1D test engine had demonstrated a vacuum thrust to weight ratio greater than 150:1 and a vacuum specific impulse greater than 309 seconds. He also said that the engine had performed a 185 second long burn at up to 66.68 tonnes thrust. Engine data was subsequently updated to show 66.68 tonnes sea level thrust, 73.03 tonnes vacuum thrust, a sea level specific impulse of 282 seconds, and a vacuum specific impulse of 311 seconds. This was believed to be the highest specific impulse ever achieved by a gas-generator cycle first stage kerosene rocket engine. On March 20, 2013 SpaceX announced that the Merlin 1D
engine had completed flight qualification testing. During the 28-test program,
Merlin 1D completed 1,970 seconds of total test time, the equivalent of more than 10 full
duration missions. The program included four tests at or above the 66.68 tonnes
sea-level thrust and 185 second duration needed for a Falcon 9 v1.1 flight. The
testing took place at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas facility.
Merlin 1D Vacuum Testing at McGregor A single Merlin 1D Vacuum version would power the Falcon
9 v1.1 second stage. In September, 2012, SpaceX provided an image of a Merlin 1D
Vacuum engine being tested. The engine will be fitted with an extended nozzle, not
shown in its ground test image, to improve specific impulse. The specific impulse
has not been announced, but it will likely exceed the 311 seconds listed for the first
stage engine. Fifth Grasshopper Flight Reached 250 Meter Altitude In late 2012, SpaceX began test program that at the time seemed to be an expensive research-oriented side show. It later turned out to be a key part of Falcon 9 v1.1 development effort. The effort was called "Grasshopper". Grasshopper was a vertical takeoff vertical landing test vehicle. It was composed of a Falcon 9 first stage fitted with a single Merlin 1D engine and, at its base, a massive landing leg structure. Four fixed landing legs supported the stage both prior to takeoff and upon landing. Grasshopper took off and landed on a concrete apron at McGregor, using no hold-down arms or other similar launcher equipment. The vehicle flew 2.5 meters off the ground in September, 2012. It rose 5.4 meters in November and 40 meters in December. In March, 2013, it flew to an 80.1 meter height where it hovered briefly before returning to land. In April, 2013, Grasshopper rose to 250 meters. SpaceX provided a dramatic helicoper-based aerial view of that flight. On June 14, 2013, Grasshopper flew for more than one minute and exceeded 300 meters altitude. A dramatic lateral divergence test took place on August 13, 2013 when the stage rose 300 meters while moving 100 meters horizontally during ascent and descent. Liftoff and landing occurred from the same spot during this final flight of this first Grasshopper stage at McGregor. Future testing was planned to take place in a more remote location in New Mexico, near White Sands, using a more advanced test stage. On March 28, 2013, Elon Musk announced that Falcon 9 v1.1 would perform similar "fly-back" tests during early missions. After separation, the stage would fire its center engine to scrub horizontal velocity, vastly reducing reentry heating. It would then attempt to restart its engine just before it hit the ocean to demonstrate a final vertical velocity reduction. It became clear that the company planned to eventually develop a "fly back" version of its Falcon 9 v1.1 first stage. Elon Musk began using the "Falcon 9R" name to describe the rocket. Such a stage would actually return to its launch site for a propulsively controlled vertical landing using deployable landing legs that would be much lighter than those fitted to Grasshopper. Musk noted that testing of such a system would take awhile and that a successful reentry was not necessarily expected during the initial tests. A fly-back test would not occur for many months at the earliest.
Falcon 9 v1.1 Payload Fairing Testing Preparations at Plum Brook Station near Sandusky, Ohio in March, 2013. The big test stand at McGregor was modified to accept the larger, more powerful v1.1 first stage during late 2012. An entirely new ground-level test stand was also under construction during this time. The new stand, which appeared to use a water deluge system to dampen accoustic energy, was likely being constructed for Falcon Heavy testing. Structural Falcon 9 v1.1 first and second stage structural test articles were seen at McGregor during late 2012 and early 2013. The structural test stands previously built for Falcon 9 v1.0 had to be stretched to handle the longer stages. On satellite launch missions, Falcon 9 v1.1 would use a large, never-flown payload fairing. During late 2012 and early 2013, SpaceX installed a test version of its new 5.2 meter diameter fairing in NASA's massive Plum Brook Station vacuum test chamber in Sandusky, Ohio. The fairing, with a 13.9 meter usable length, performed separation testing with the chamber pumped down to near-vacuum conditions. The first Falcon 9 v1.1 flight first stage was shipped
from Hawthorne to McGregor during March 2013, where it was erected onto the big test
stand. Propellant loading and other tests of the stage occurred during April and
May, a process delayed when problems such as LOX leaks had to be resolved. An
initial developmental static test attempt on May 31, 2013 was aborted just prior to
ignition. A second attempt on June 1 resulted in an abort after 10 seconds due to
high gas generator inlet temperature readings.
A third attempt on June 7 was more successful, but nonetheless suffered an abort after 112 seconds of a planned 180 second burn. Another high temperature reading was the cause. A video posted by Elon Musk of this test showed small pieces of a burning lightweight material, possibly insulation, falling from the stage after the abort. On June 13, 2013, a fourth attempt resulted in an abort after 70 seconds. The center engine was removed after this test to inspect the engine compartment. Finally, on June 19, the first stage ran for more than 2.5 minutes. SpaceX announced that development testing of the stage was completed at the conclusion of this test. The company announced that the total firing time for the stage now exceeded 6 minutes, implying that the final test lasted for perhaps 170 seconds or more. With development testing of the stage complete, the company prepared to begin acceptance testing. Test engines were replaced with flight engines, and a long acceptance test firing occurred on July 4, 2013. A full-duration, three-minute mission length firing was performed on July 14, 2013. After the test, Elon Musk tweeted that he was "proud of the boost stage team for overcoming many tough issues". The stage was subsequently delivered to Vandenberg AFB by the end of July. Meanwhile a development test of the second stage had
been attempted on May 21, 2013, but had ended in an abort. No additional news about
second stage testing was available one month later. Presumably, the stage completed
a development and acceptance test cycle like the first stage, since it was delivered to
Vandenberg AFB by mid-July.
The first flight of the Falcon 9 with Merlin 1D engines was expected to launch Canada's Cassiope, a 360 kg weather research and communications satellite into an elliptical low earth orbit from Vandenberg SLC 4E. A second flight would lift 3.6 tonne SES-8 to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral SLC 40. The stages for the seventh Falcon 9, also a v1.1, were at McGregor preparing for their acceptance tests by early August, 2013. The first stage fired for 45 seconds as planned on August 13. The second stage subsequently completed its testing and arrived at Cape Canaveral on September 10, 2013. Meanwhile, the Falcon 9-008 stages were being prepared for their acceptance tests. Falcon 9 No. 6, the first v1.1, was mated to its transporter erector at Vandenberg AFB on August 22, 2013. It rolled out to SLC 4E and, on August 28, performed a wet dress rehearsal (propellant loading) exercise with no payload attached. The rocket returned to its hangar where the payload and payload fairing were attached. Back on the launch pad, an attempted hot fire test was scrubbed on September 11, 2013 before being performed on September 12, following two aborted attempts earlier in the day. A variety of "bugs" cropped up during the
initial hot fire test, including vehicle/pad interface problems and a problem with a
liquid oxygen drain valve that prevented rapid detanking after the test. During the
ensuring days, the vehicle was rotated back to horizontal to allow some corrective work to
be performed. A second hot fire test was performed on September 19, 2013 at 17:51
UTC. This time the rocket and its ground launch equipment passed the test.
Falcon 9 No. 006 was prepared for an expected late September launch date, pending
completion of at least one Minuteman 3 launch from Vandenberg AFB.
SpaceX Corporation successfully launched its first
Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on September 29, 2013. The two-stage
kerosene fueled rocket, much longer and heavier and with more powerful engines than its
five Falcon 9 predecessors, and equipped for the first time with a payload fairing, lifted
off from rebuilt Space Launch Complex 4 East at 16:00 UTC on a demonstration mission with
Canada's 500 kg Cassiope and with five small cubesats that together weighed about 100 kg.
The second stage and satellites were aimed south toward a planned 300 x 1,500 km x 80 deg
orbit. After second stage cutoff, SpaceX ended its launch
webcast as the stage flew out of tracking range. About 30 minutes later, word came
that Cassiope and the cubesats had separated as planned beginning more than 14 minutes
after liftoff. A second re-ignition of only the center engine also
initiated as planned shortly before impact with the Pacific Ocean, but roll rates on the
stage quickly exceeded the control ability of the reaction control system. The roll
rate pushed propellant toward the tank edges, causing the engine to shut down. The
stage fell, impacted the ocean, and broke into pieces. A recovery ship was able to
haul aboard some floating pieces of the stage. SpaceX head Elon Musk was pleased
with the results of the experiment, which he said moved SpaceX closer to recovery of
stages in the future.
On November 21, 2013, SpaceX announced the cause of the Flight 6 restart problem. Frozen fluid lines for the Merlin 1D Vacuum engine's hypergolic igniter fuid (triethylaluminum-triethylborane, or TEA-TEB) were responsible for the failed second stage restart. The lines froze when they were exposed to liquid oxygen boiloff. Designers added insulation to the lines and reoriented systems to prevent GOX impingement on the lines in preparation for the next Falcon 9 launch with SES 8. On the same date, SpaceX performed a wet dress rehearsal
and static test firing of second Falcon 9 v1.1 at Cape Canaveral SLC 40 in preparation for
a planned November 25 launch of SES 8 into supersynchronous earth orbit.
The second SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1,
and the seventh Falcon 9 overall, performed the Hawthorne, California company's first
commercial geosynchronous transfer orbit launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December
3, 2013. The launch boosted SES 8, a 3,138 kg communications satellite built by
Orbital Sciences for SES of Luxembourg, toward a targeted 295 x 80,000 km x 20.75 degree
supersynchronous transfer orbit.
SES separated about 31 minutes 15 seconds after liftoff. The second stage restart was a critical event. A restart had failed to occur during the inaugural September 29, 2013 Falcon 9 v1.1 flight in a test of the stage after payloads had successfully separated into their planned low earth orbits. SpaceX determined that hypergolic igniter fluid had been frozen by gaseous oxygen impingement during the flight. The company added insulation to prevent a recurrence. SES 8 became the first satellite boosted to geosynchronous transfer orbit by a two-stage hydrocarbon fueled rocket. It was the third Falcon 9 launch of 2013, the most in one year to date. The launch was also the 10th of the year by all launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral.
SpaceX Corporation's eighth Falon 9 rocket, and its third upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 variant, launch Thailand's Thaicom 6 commuication satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 6, 2014. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 took place at 22:06 UTC. The Merlin 1D Vacuum powered second stage performed two burns to accelerate the 3.016 tonne Orbital Sciences GEOStar 2 satellite toward a targeted 295 x 90,000 km x 22.5 deg supersynchronous transfer orbit. After maneuvering itself to geosynchronous orbit, Thaicom 6, equipped with Ku and C-band transponders, will be co-located with Thaicom 5 at 78.5 degrees East. After a 174 second long first stage burn, the second stage burned for about 350 seconds to place itself and its payload into a 173 x 497 x 27.3 deg parking orbit. Payload fairing separation occurred during the early part of the second stage burn. After an 18 minute coast, the second stage reignited for just over one minute to loft the payload toward its insertion orbit. Spacecraft separation occurred about 31 minutes 13 seconds after liftoff. SpaceX performed its quickest launch pad turnaround for Thaicom 6, which lifted off just more than one month after Falcon 9 No. 7 orbited SES 8. During the campaign, the Thaicom 6 booster performed a hot fire test at SLC 40 on December 28, 2013.
F9-9 Sports First Landing Leg Assembly in SLC 40 Hangar The ninth Falcon 9 was the first v1.1 version topped by a Dragon cargo carrier spacecraft. This was the CRS-3 mission, which was expected to carry more than 1.5 tonnes of cargo for ISS. F9-9 was also the first Falcon 9 v1.1 equipped with
landing legs. Plans called for the legs to be deployed shortly before the first
stage reached the Atlantic Ocean during a second reentry test. After stage
separation, the first stage would turn around and three of the first stage Merlin 1D
engines would reignited to eliminate most of the stage horizontal velocity, allowing the
stage to fall nearly straight down through the atmosphere at low enough velocity to
survive reentry. SpaceX called this a "reentry burn". As the stage
approached the Atlantic Ocean off the northern Florida coast, the center Merlin 1D would
reignite for a third and final "landing burn" designed to scrub vertical
velocity. The four landing legs would deploy 10 seconds after the start of the burn
to simulate the process of an actual landing on land. At the conclusion of this test
the stage would drop into the ocean. Recovery of the stage is unlikely, and is
unnecessary for a successful test.
Future first stage recovery will likely require three
post-separation burns. The first would both scrub horizontal velocity and boost the
stage back toward the launch site, all while above the atmosphere. The second burn
would eliminate the boost back horizontal velocity to allow reentry. A landing burn
would land the stage near the launch site. Before SpaceX can attempt a boost back
stage recovery, which will involve fly a loaded rocket stage back toward a populated
coastline, it will have to demonstrate precise control and operation of the stage using
several reentry tests offshore.
SpaceX assembled the F9-9 vehicle in its Cape Canaveral SLC 40 hangar during February and March, 2014. On March 8, the vehicle performed a combined propellant loading and static test firing.
Falcon 9 Orbits Dragon Cargo Mission The ninth SpaceX Falcon 9 - and the fourth upgraded
"1.1" version - launched a Dragon spacecraft on the CRS-3 resupply mission for
NASA's International Space Station from Cape Canaveral on April 18, 2014. Liftoff from
Space Launch Complex 40 took place at 20:25 UTC. The two-stage rocket boosted Dragon into
a 313 x 332 km x 51.6 deg low earth orbit during a 9 minute 40 second ascent. Dragon
controllers had to bypass a faulty quad thruster helium pressurization system isolation
valve during the spacecraft initiation phase, but the problem was quickly solved using a
backup system.
Several hours after the flight, Elon Musk tweeted that data from a tracking plane had showed that the final landing phase had been performed successfully, meaning that the stage had remained stable, that the landing burn had fired for its full duration, and presumably that the landing legs had deployed. Several boats were enroute to the landing zone located about 520 km downrange from the Cape and about 400 km east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, though heavy seas were reported in the area. After Dragon separated, the second stage coasted for 35 minutes before performing a brief depletion burn as it flew over the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia. The burn was intended to determine propellant residuals and to lower the orbit of the stage, hastening its reentry. Dragon successfully berthed with ISS two days after
launch.
On April 21, 2014, SpaceX President and Chief Executive Officer Gwynne Shotwell said that the first stage had landed softly at near zero velocity, but that recovery was unlikely due to rough seas. She said that the stage, or that parts of the stage, had been located. A Coast Guard navigation hazard notice briefly listed a floating stage obstruction at about 31 North, 76 West, but the notice was subsequently canceled. Four days later, Elon Musk confirmed that the stage had
deployed its legs and landed softly, but had subsequently sunk due to wave action.
High seas prevented any ships from searching for the stage for two days. Only
floating fragments were located, included pieces of the carbon composite interstage and of
one of the landing legs. Mr. Musk said that the company would try another first
stage ocean landing on the next Falcon 9 flight.
The fifth SpaceX Falcon 9
v1.1, and tenth Falcon 9 overall, launched six Orbcomm data
relay satellites into low earth orbit following a July 14, 2014 Cape Canaveral
launch. Liftoff from SLC 40 took place at 15:15 UTC. The second stage
performed a single direct insertion burn to place the Orbcomm OG 2 payload, consisting of
an adapter with six 172 kg Orbcomm satellites and two 172 kg mass simulators, into a 614 x
743 km x 47 deg orbit. Sierra Nevada Corporation and Boeing Corporation built the
satellites, which will maneuver themselves into 715 km circular operational orbits.
The 11th SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and the sixth v1.1
variant, boosted the Asiasat 8 communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit
from Cape Canaveral on August 5, 2014. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 took place at
08:00 UTC, only three weeks after the previous Falcon 9 launch from the same pad. Asiasat 8 was the heaviest beyond LEO payload carried by a Falcon 9 to date. Falcon 9 flew in expendable mode without landing legs as a result. It was the year's fourth Falcon 9 launch.
It was the seventh Falcon 9 v1.1 launch, the 12th Falcon
9, and the fifth SpaceX launch of 2014.
Falcon 9 v1.1 Flight History Date Vehicle No. Payload Mass Site Orbit (kmxkmxdeg) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 09/29/13 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-6 Cassiope/5 Cubesats 0.6 VA 4E 500x1500x80 LEO [8] 12/03/13 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-7 SES 8 3.183 CC 40 295x80000x20.8 GTO+[9] 01/06/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-8 Thaicom 6 3.016 CC 40 295x90000x22.5 GTO+[A] 04/18/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-9 CRS-3 Dragon >8.6? CC 40 313x332x51.6 LEO/ISS[10] 07/14/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-10 Orbcomm OG2 (6sats) 1.032 CC 40 614x743x47 LEO [11] 08/05/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-11 Asiasat 8 4.535 CC 40 185x35786x24.3 GTO 09/07/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-12 Asiasat 6 4.428 CC 40 184x35762x25.3 GTO 09/21/14 Falcon 9 v1.1 F9-13 CRS-4 Dragon >8.6? CC 40 199x359x51.64 LEO/ISS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] First Falcon 9 v1.1. First VAFB SLC 4E launch of Falcon 9. 1st stage performed two reentry burns (3 and 1 engine), but 2nd burn cutoff early due high roll rates. 2nd stage restart for disposal burn failed. [9] First Falcon 9 GTO+ launch. Targeted 295 x 80,000 km x 20.75 degree supersynchronous transfer orbit. Stg 1 briefly restarted post sep. Fire reported in Stg1 octaweb during ascent. [A] Lower than planned fuel reserves reported at end of final Stg2 burn. Planned orbit achieved. [10] First Falcon 9 fitted with extending landing legs. First stage performed two retro burns after separation, lowering itself to a simulated landing in the Atlantic off the Georgia/S. Carolina coast. [11] 2nd Falcon 9 with legs. First stage performed two retro burns and landed in Atlantic but exploded during tip over. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- References Falcon 9 Data Sheet, SpaceX, 2008
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Falcon Heavy as Originally Presented by SpaceX, April 2011
Erector at
Vandenberg AFB SLC 4E with Hangar in background 
Grasshopper
First Flight Preparations
June 7,
2013 First Stage Development Test Firing
Falcon 9 v1.1 (F9-006) at SLC 4E, with September 19,
2013 Hot Fire on Right 
Falcon
9 v1.1 Debut
Merlin 1D Engines Gleam in the Morning Sunlight
Prior to Liftoff
Propellant
Loading for November 21, 2013 Static Test at Cape Canaveral
Falcon 9 Performs First Geosynchronous
Transfer Mission
Falcon 9's
nine Merlin 1D first stage engines produced about 600 tonnes of liftoff thrust to boost
the 69 meter tall, more than 500 tonne rocket slowly off its pad. The first stage
burn ended about two minutes 54 seconds after liftoff, with two engines cutting off
shortly before the remining seven. The second stage Merlin 1D Vacuum engine peformed
two burns, with the first lasting about five minutes 20 seconds and the second about 71
seconds. The stage coasted in a parking orbit for about 18 minutes toward the first
equator crossing over the Atlantic Ocean before the restart. 
Falcon
9 Launches Thaicom 6
Falcon 9 v1.1 CRS-3 Launch, Showing Water Plume
Kicked up from Flame Trench by Merlin 1D Ignition
Landing
Legs on F9-9 First Stage Prior to Rollout
CRS-3 Dragon Approaches ISS
Long
Falcon 9 Campaign Ends with Success
On June 20, 2014, a launch attempt was scrubbed several
minutes before liftoff due to a decay in second stage pressurization, apparently due to an
issue with ground support equipment. A June 21 attempt was scrubbed due to weather
after the propellant was loaded. Another attempt was scrubbed on June 22 before
propellant loading began after a problem with a first stage thrust Vector Control actuator
was detected. Once again, Falcon 9 was rolled back into its hangar for repairs. 
Falcon
9 Launches Asiasat 8
Falcon 9
Launches Asiasat 6