Falcon 9

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Falcon 9
File:Falcon 9 upright on pad.jpg
Falcon 9 on Space Launch Complex 40 during ground tests
FunctionRe-usable orbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
Cost per launchNormal:

LEO (<80% cap.) $44M [1]
LEO (>80% cap.) $49.5M [1]
GTO (<3,000 kg) $44M [1]
GTO (>3,000 kg) $49.5M [1]

Heavy: $78m
Size
Height54 m (178 ft)
Diameter3.60 m (12 ft)
MassNormal: 333,400 kg
Heavy: 885,000 kg
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEONormal: 10,450 kg
Heavy: 29,610 kg
Payload to
GTO		Normal: 4,540 kg
Heavy: 15,010 kg
Launch history
StatusIn Development
Launch sitesCape Canaveral SLC-40
Omelek Island
First flightNormal: April or May 2010[2] (planned)
Heavy: 2010 (planned)
Boosters (Falcon 9 Heavy)
No. boosters2
Engines9 Merlin 1C
Thrust4,086 kN (918,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSea level: 255 sec (2.6 kN/kg)
Vacuum: 304 sec (3.0 kN/kg)
Burn timeUnknown
PropellantLOX/RP-1
First stage
Engines9 Merlin 1C
Thrust4,086 kN (918,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSea level: 255 sec (2.6 kN/kg)
Vacuum: 304 sec (3.0 kN/kg)
Burn timeUnknown
PropellantLOX/RP-1
Second stage
Engines1 Merlin Vacuum
Thrust513 kN (115,400 lbf)
Specific impulseVacuum: 342 sec (3.45 kN/kg) [3]
Burn time345 seconds
PropellantLOX/RP-1
[edit on Wikidata]

The Falcon 9 is a reusable two-stage-to-orbit, liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle manufactured by SpaceX. Multiple variants are planned with payloads of between 10,450 kg and 26,610 kg to low Earth orbit, and between 4,540 kg and 15,010 kg to geostationary transfer orbit.

As of February 23, 2010, the Falcon 9 is upright on its launch pad at Launch Complex 40 in preparation for its maiden launch in either March or April 2010; it will be the first new rocket to launch from Cape Canaveral since 2002.[4]

The Falcon 9 will be the launch vehicle for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Falcon 9 and Dragon combination won a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. Currently SpaceX is holding an April or May 2010 date for the maiden flight of Falcon 9, delayed from Nov. 29, Feb. 9, March 3 and March 8. [5]

Design

Falcon 9 (left) and Falcon 9 Heavy (right)

The base Falcon 9 is a two stage, LOX/RP-1 powered launch vehicle. Its first stage is powered by nine SpaceX Merlin 1C rocket engines with 125,000 lbf sea level thrust per engine for a total thrust on liftoff of just over 1.1 million lbf.

The Falcon 9 Heavy consists of a standard Falcon 9 with two additional Falcon 9 first stages acting as liquid strap-on boosters, which is conceptually similar to EELV launchers and to the Russian Angara carrier rocket.

The upper stage is powered by a single Merlin engine modified for vacuum operation with an expansion ratio of 117:1 and a nominal burn time of 345 seconds. For added reliability of restart, the engine has dual redundant pyrophoric igniters (TEA-TEB). Both stages are designed to be reusable.

The interstage, which connects the upper and lower stage for Falcon 9, is a carbon fiber aluminum core composite structure. Stage separation occurs via reuseable separation collets and a pneumatic pusher system. The Falcon 9 tank walls and domes are made from aluminum lithium alloy. SpaceX uses an all friction stir welded tank, the highest strength and most reliable welding technique available. The second stage tank of Falcon 9 is simply a shorter version of the first stage tank and uses most of the same tooling, material and manufacturing techniques. This results in significant cost savings in vehicle production.

As with the company's smaller Falcon 1 vehicle, Falcon 9's launch sequence includes a hold-down feature that allows full engine ignition and systems check before liftoff. After first stage engine start, the Falcon is held down and not released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating normally. An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occurs if any off nominal conditions are detected.

Falcon 9 will have triple redundant flight computers and inertial navigation, with a GPS overlay for additional orbit insertion accuracy.[6]

The Falcon 9 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.

Launcher versions

Version Falcon 9 Falcon 9 Heavy
Stage 0 — 2 boosters with 9 × Merlins 1C each
Stage 1 9 × Merlin 1C 9 × Merlin 1C
Stage 2 1 × Merlin 1C 1 × Merlin 1C
Height
(max; m) 		50 or 54 (large fairing) 50 or 54 (large fairing)
Diameter
(m) 		3.6 3.6
Initial thrust
(kN) 		4,400 12,258
Takeoff weight
(tonnes) 		325 885
Fairing diameter
(Inner; m) 		4.6 4.6
Payload
(LEO; kg) 		8,560 (polar orbit from Kwajalein) or 10,450 (launch at Cape Canaveral) 32,000
Payload
(GTO; kg) 		4,680 (launch at Kwajalein) or 4,540 (launch at Cape Canaveral) 19,500
Price
(Mil. USD) 		35 to LEO; 35 to 55 (according to Satellite Mass) to GEO 90 to LEO; 55 to 90 (according to Satellite Mass) to GEO
minimal Price/kg
(LEO; USD) 		3,365 3,273
minimal Price/kg
(GTO; USD) 		between 10,000 and 11,000 (according to Satellite Mass) between 7,826 and 10,000 (according to Satellite Mass)
Success ratio
(successful/total) 		— —

[7] [8] [9] [10]

Initial descriptions

At an appearance in May 2004 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Elon Musk testified, "Long term plans call for development of a heavy lift product and even a super-heavy, if there is customer demand. [...] Ultimately, I believe $500 per pound [of payload delivered to orbit] or less is very achievable."[11]

SpaceX formally announced the Falcon 9 on 2005-09-08, describing it as being a "fully reusable heavy lift launch vehicle."[12] A Falcon 9 medium was described as being capable of launching approximately 21,000 lb (9,500 kg) to low Earth orbit, priced at $27 million per flight ($1286/lb).

Production and testing

On April 12, 2007 SpaceX announced it had completed the primary structure for its first Falcon 9 first-stage tank.[13] The tank walls and domes are made from friction stir welded aluminum 2198.[14] The tank was shipped to a SpaceX test facility in Texas for first-stage static firing validation. The first multi-engine test (with two engines connected to the first stage, firing simultaneously) was successfully completed in January 2008. On March 8, 2008, three Merlin 1C engines were fired simultaneously for the first time. The next test took place on May 29, 2008, and saw five engines firing together. The first nine-engine firing tests were conducted on July 31 and August 1, 2008; both were successful.[15] [16] [17] On November 22, 2008 the full Falcon 9 complement of nine engines was test fired for a full mission length (178 seconds) of the first stage[18]

In February 2008, the plan was for the first Falcon 9/Dragon COTS Demo flight to be delayed by six months to late in the first quarter of 2009, due to the immense amount of development and regulatory work required. According to Elon Musk, the complexity of the development work and the regulatory requirements for launching from Cape Canaveral have contributed to the delay.[19]

In January 2009, Falcon 9 was first raised to the vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral. In October 2009, the first flight-ready first stage had a successful all-engine test fire at the McGregor, TX test stand. The full stack had arrived at the launch site for integration at the beginning of February 2010. SpaceX scheduled a launch date of March 22, 2010, though they estimate anywhere between one and three months for integration and testing.[20]

Scheduled launches

According to the USAF, which operates the Eastern Range, the first Falcon 9 launch was due to take place no earlier than November 29, 2009.[21][22] The launch was later moved to February 9, 2010, and eventually rescheduled for no earlier than March 2010.[2]

(Dates provided by the SpaceX Launch Manifest are "target" dates for vehicle arrival at launch site)

  • Q4 2009 (arrival at launch site): Demonstration flight of Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral[23]. Launch originally expected in Q4 2009, is planned on April or May 2010[24][25]
  • 2010: Demo flight 1 of Falcon 9/Dragon for NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program[23][26] Launch expected in Q1 2010[27]
  • 2010: MDA Corporation payload on Falcon 9[23][26]
  • 2010: Demo flight 2 of Falcon 9/Dragon for NASA COTS program,[23] 2nd stage becomes a rendezvous target for the Dragon capsule (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2010: Demo flight 3 of Falcon 9/Dragon for NASA COTS program,[23] demonstration of cargo delivery to the International Space Station (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2011: DragonLab Mission 1. non-COTS private mission of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spaceship - payload not yet public (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2011: Resupply mission 1 for NASA COTS program,[23] cargo delivery to the International Space Station (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2011: Bigelow Aerospace payload,[23] a prototype inflatable space station module (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2011: DragonLab Mission 2. non-COTS private mission of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spaceship - payload not yet public (per SpaceX manifest)[23]
  • 2011: Resupply mission 2 for NASA COTS program,[23] cargo delivery to the International Space Station (per SpaceX manifest)[23]

There are twelve total Falcon 9 resupply missions contracted to the ISS between 2010 and 2015.[23]

Comparable rockets

These rockets are all heavy lift launch vehicles (over 14,000 kg to LEO and over 5,000 kg to GTO). Most of them use liquid oxygen with liquid hydrogen or kerosene.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "Launch Cost Falcon 9". SpaceX. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Launch_cost" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Worldwide launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2010. Early March...Delayed from Nov. 29 and Feb. 9. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20090310
  4. ^ http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100223/NEWS02/2230321/1006/news01/Falcon+9+prepares+to+soar
  5. ^ http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/100220rollout/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Falcon 9 Overview". SpaceX. 08 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "SpaceX Falcon Data Sheet". Space Launch Report. 5 July 2007.
  8. ^ "Monster Progress Update (Mostly Falcon 9)". SpaceX. 17 August 2007.
  9. ^ "Falcon 1 Overview". SpaceX. 28 September 2007.
  10. ^ "Falcon 9 Heavy Overview". SpaceX. 08 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Testimony of Elon Musk. "Space Shuttle and the Future of Space Launch Vehicles". U.S. Senate.
  12. ^ "SpaceX Announces the Falcon 9 Fully Reusable Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle". SpaceX. 2005-09-08.
  13. ^ "SpaceX Completes Primary Structure of the Falcon 9 First Stage Tank" (Press release). Space Exploration Technologies Corp. 2007-04-11.
  14. ^ "Testing to Begin for SpaceX Falcon 9 First Stage Tank". satNews.com. 2007-04-16.
  15. ^ "SpaceX: First nine engine firing of its Falcon 9". NASA Spaceflight. August 02, 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "SpaceX Conducts First Multi-Engine Firing of Falcon 9 Rocket". The Space Fellowship. 28 January 2008.
  17. ^ "SpaceX conducts first Three-Engine firing of Falcon 9 rocket". SpaceX. 28 March 2008.
  18. ^ "SpaceX successfully conducts full mission-length firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle". SpaceX.
  19. ^ Rob Coppinger (2008-02-27). "SpaceX Falcon 9 maiden flight delayed by six months to late Q1 2009". Flight Global.
  20. ^ ""SpaceX announces Falcon 9 assembly underway at the Cape". "Orlando Sentinel". 11 Feb 2010.
  21. ^ "90 Day Range Forecast" (PDF). USAF 45th Space Wing. 22 Sep 2009.
  22. ^ "Air Force: SpaceX's Falcon 9 first launch planned for Nov 29". Orlando Sentinel. Sep 22, 2009.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Launch Manifest". SpaceX. 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  24. ^ "Falcon 9 rocket will spend next week at launch pad". spaceflightNow.com. February 20, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  25. ^ "Elon Musk: SpaceX Falcon 9's maiden launch just "months" away". Orlando Sentinel. 2009-1-5. Retrieved 2010-01-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ a b NASA, SpaceX (unknown). "Space Act Agreement Between National Aeronautics And Space Administration And Space Explorations Technologies Corp. For Commercial Orbital Transport Services Demonstration (COTS)" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-22. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  27. ^ "COTS Status Update & Crew Capabilities" (PDF). SpaceX. 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-09-21.

External links

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