List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
Since June 2010, rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched times, with full mission successes, one partial failure and one total loss of spacecraft. In addition, one rocket and its payload were destroyed on the launch pad in the fueling process before a static fire test.
Designed and operated by private manufacturer SpaceX, the Falcon 9 rocket family includes the retired versions Falcon 9 v1.0, v1.1, and v1.2 "Full Thrust", along with the currently 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.
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. In December 2015, Falcon 9 became the first rocket to land propulsively after delivering a payload to orbit. This achievement is expected to significantly reduce launch costs. Falcon family core boosters have successfully landed times in attempts. A total of boosters have flown a second mission, including two pairs as Falcon Heavy side-boosters, six boosters have gone on to fly a third mission, five boosters have flown a fourth mission and two have flown five times.
Falcon 9's typical missions include cargo delivery to the International Space Station with the Dragon capsule, launch of communications satellites and Earth observation satellites to geostationary transfer orbits, and low-Earth orbits, some of them at polar inclinations. The heaviest payload launched to a LEO are a batch of 60 Starlink satellites weighing a total which SpaceX flies regularly, aiming for 24 of these flights in 2020, to a roughly orbit. The heaviest payload launched to a geostationary transfer orbit was Intelsat 35e with. Launches to higher orbits have included the DSCOVR probe to the Sun–Earth Lagrangian point L1, the TESS space telescope launched on a Lunar flyby trajectory, and the Falcon Heavy test flight payload launched into a heliocentric orbit extending beyond the orbit of Mars.
Launch statistics
Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched times over, resulting in full mission successes, one partial success, and one failure. Additionally, one rocket and its payload Amos-6 were destroyed before launch in preparation for an on-pad static fire test.The first rocket 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 latest upgrade Falcon 9 Full Thrust times from December 2015 to present, 26 of which using a re-flown first stage booster. Falcon Heavy was launched once in February 2018, incorporating two refurbished first stages as side boosters, and then again in April and June 2019, the June flight reusing the side booster from the previous flight. The final "Block 4" booster to be produced was flown in April 2018, and the first Block 5 version in May 2018. While Block 4 boosters were only flown twice and required several months of refurbishment, Block 5 versions are designed to sustain 10 flights with just inspections, possibly on a 24-hour turnover.
The rocket's first-stage boosters have been recovered in of landing attempts, with out of for the latest version, Block 5.
Rocket configurations
Launch sites
Launch outcomes
Booster landings
Past launches
2010 to 2013
2014
With six launches, SpaceX became the second most prolific American company in terms of 2014 launches, behind Atlas V rockets.2015
With 7 launches in 2015, Falcon 9 was the second most launched American rocket behind Atlas V.2016
With 8 successful launches for 2016, SpaceX equalled Atlas V for most American rocket launches for the year.2017
With 18 launches throughout 2017, SpaceX had the most prolific yearly launch manifest of all rocket families.2018
In November 2017, Gwynne Shotwell expected to increase launch cadence in 2018 by about 50% compared to 2017, leveling out at a rate of about 30 to 40 per year, not including launches for the planned SpaceX satellite constellation Starlink. The actual launch rate increased by 17% from 18 in 2017 to 21 in 2018, giving SpaceX the second most launches for the year for a rocket family, behind China's Long March.2019
Shotwell declared in May 2019 that SpaceX might conduct up to 21 launches in 2019, not counting Starlink missions. but by September she declared that there will be at most 18 total launches. SpaceX ended up launching only 13 rockets throughout 2019, significantly fewer than in 2017 and 2018, and third most launches of vehicle class behind China's Long March and Russia's R-7 rockets.2020
Future launches
Future launches are listed chronologically when firm plans are in place. The order of the later launches is much less certain, as the official SpaceX manifest does not include a schedule. Tentative launch dates are cited from various sources for each launch. Launches are expected to take place "no earlier than" the listed date.2020
In late 2019, Gwynne Shotwell stated that SpaceX hopes for as many as 24 launches for Starlink satellites in 2020, in addition to 14 or 15 non-Starlink launches. She noted that second stages may need to be built slightly faster in order to allow SpaceX to aim for a total of 35 to 38 flights for the year.2021
SpaceX aims to have up to 54 launches for Falcon 9 and another 10 for Falcon Heavy for 2021 from Florida according to its environmental assessment.2022
SpaceX aims to have over 60 launches every year from Florida alone according to an environmental assessment.2023 and beyond
Notable launches
First flight of Falcon 9
On 4 June 2010, the first Falcon 9 launch successfully placed a test payload into the intended orbit. Starting at the moment of liftoff, the booster experienced roll. The roll stopped before the craft reached the top of the tower, but the second stage began to roll near the end of its burn, tumbling out of control during the passivation process and creating a gaseous halo of vented propellant that could be seen from all of Eastern Australia, raising UFO concerns.COTS demo missions
The second launch of Falcon 9 was COTS Demo Flight 1 testing an operational Dragon capsule. The launch took place on 8 December 2010. The booster placed the Dragon spacecraft in a roughly orbit. After two orbits, the capsule re-entered the atmosphere to be recovered off the coast of Mexico. This flight tested the pressure vessel integrity, attitude control using the Draco thrusters, telemetry, guidance, navigation, control systems, and the PICA-X heat shield, and intended to test the parachutes at speed. The "secret" test payload on this mission was a wheel of cheese. The capsule is now on display at SpaceX headquarters.The NASA COTS qualification program included two more test flights; Demo 2 and Demo 3 whose objectives were combined into a single Dragon C2+ mission, on the condition that all Demo 2 milestones would be validated in space before proceeding with the ultimate demonstration goal: berthing Dragon to the International Space Station and delivering its cargo. After clearing a few readiness delays and a launch abort, the Dragon capsule was propelled to orbit on May 22, 2012, and tested its positioning system, solar panels, grapple fixture and proximity navigation sensors. Over the next two days, the spacecraft performed a series of maneuvers to catch up to the ISS orbit and prove its rendezvous capabilities at safe distances. On May 24, all the Demo 2 milestones had been successfully cleared and NASA approved the extended mission. On May 25, Dragon performed a series of close approach maneuvers until reaching its final hold position a mere away from the Harmony nadir docking port. Astronaut Don Pettit subsequently grabbed the spacecraft with the station's robotic arm. On the next day, May 26 at 09:53 UTC, Pettit opened the hatch and remarked that Dragon "smells like a brand new car." Over the next few days, ISS crew unloaded the incoming cargo and filled Dragon with Earth-bound items such as experiment samples and unneeded hardware. The spacecraft was released on May 31 at 09:49 UTC and successfully completed all the return procedures: unberthing, maneuvering away from the ISS, deorbit burn, trunk jettison, atmospheric reentry, parachute deployment, and ocean splashdown. The Dragon C2+ capsule is now on display at Kennedy Space Center.
With successful completion of these demo missions, Falcon 9 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 12 cargo deliveries starting in October 2012.
CRS-1
The first operational cargo resupply mission to ISS, the fourth flight of Falcon 9, was launched on October 7, 2012. At 76 seconds after liftoff, engine 1 of the first stage suffered a loss of pressure which caused an automatic shutdown of that engine. The remaining eight first-stage engines continued to burn and the Dragon capsule reached orbit successfully. This was the first demonstration of the rocket's "engine out" capability in flight. As per ISS visiting vehicle safety rules, the primary payload owner, NASA, was contractually allowed to decline a second reignition, and due to safety regulations required by NASA, the secondary Orbcomm-2 satellite payload was released into a lower-than-intended orbit. Despite the incident, Orbcomm said they gathered useful test data from the mission and planned to send more satellites via SpaceX, which happened in July 2014 and December 2015. 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.Maiden flight of v1.1
SpaceX launched the maiden flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 —an essentially new launch vehicle, much larger and with greater thrust than Falcon 9 v1.0—on September 29, 2013, a demonstration launch.Although the rocket carried CASSIOPE as a primary payload, CASSIOPE had a payload mass that is very small relative to the rocket's capability, and it did so at a discounted rate—approximately 20% of the normal published price for SpaceX Falcon 9 LEO missions—because the flight was a technology demonstration mission for SpaceX.
After the second stage separated from the booster stage, 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. The test was successful, but the booster stage was not recovered.
Loss of CRS-7 mission
On June 28, 2015, Falcon 9 Flight 19 carried a Dragon capsule on the seventh Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS. The second stage disintegrated due to an internal helium tank failure while the first stage was still burning normally. This was the first primary mission loss for any Falcon 9 rocket. In addition to ISS consumables and experiments, this mission carried the first International Docking Adapter, whose loss delayed preparedness of the stations's US Orbital Segment for future crewed missions.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. 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. 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.
Full-thrust version and first booster landings
After pausing launches for months, SpaceX launched on December 22, 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, 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. After recovery, the first stage booster performed further ground tests and then was put on permanent display outside SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.On April 8, 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. This was the fourth attempt to land on a drone ship, as part of the company's experimental controlled-descent and landing tests.
Loss of Amos-6 on the launch pad
On September 1, 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. 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.First launch of a refurbished first stage
On March 30, 2017, Flight 32 launched the SES-10 satellite with the first-stage booster B1021, which had been previously used for the CRS-8 mission a year earlier. The stage was successfully recovered a second time and was retired and put on display at Cape Canaveral.Zuma
Zuma was a classified US government satellite and was developed and built by Northrop Grumman at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion. 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. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Zuma spacecraft was lost, 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. 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". 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. Due to the classified nature of the mission, no further official information is expected.Falcon Heavy test flight
The maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy occurred on February 6, 2018, marking the launch of the most powerful rocket since the Space Shuttle, with a theoretical payload capacity to low Earth orbit more than double the Delta IV Heavy. Both side boosters landed nearly simultaneously after a ten-minute flight. The central core failed to land on a floating platform at sea. The rocket carried a car and a mannequin to an eccentric heliocentric orbit that reaches further than aphelion of Mars.Booster reflight records
On December 3, 2018, Spaceflight SSO-A aboard B1046 was the first mission using a first-stage booster the third time. B1048, the first fourth flight of a booster, followed in November 2019 with the first batch of Starlink v1.0 satellites. In March 2020 a booster was used for a fifth flight for the first time, also using B1048. However, B1048 was lost during re-entry. B1049 was the first booster to be recovered five times on June 4th 2020.First flight of Crew Dragon
On March 2, 2019, SpaceX launched its first orbital flight of Dragon 2. 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. Also on board was Earth plush toy referred to as a 'Super high tech zero-g indicator'. The toy became a hit with astronaut Anne McClain who showed the plushy on the ISS each day and also deciding to keep it on board to experience the crewed SpX-DM2.The Dragon spent six days in space including five 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 March 8, 2019 at 08:45 EST, 320 km off the coast of Florida.