posted December 04, 2003 09:39 PM               

SpaceX brought the entire seven-story high spacecraft and its mobile launch system to the nation's Capitol as part of the hundred-year anniversary of manned flight.

The Falcon rocket is notable for being:

-- The first rocket with substantial reusability developed since the Space Shuttle launched over two decades ago. Once the Shuttle retires, it will be the world's only reusable rocket.

-- A major breakthrough in the cost of access to space, with a price per flight to orbit over four times lower than its nearest American competitor.

-- Designed from a "clean sheet" for reliable space transportation, compared to most existing launch vehicles, which have a comparatively low-reliability heritage as weapons systems.

First launch is expected to occur in early 2004 from the SpaceX launch complex at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The payload is a Department of Defense tactical communications & observation satellite called TacSat-1.

Located in El Segundo, California, the company was founded by CEO Elon Musk in June 2002. SpaceX is the third company founded by Mr. Musk. Previously he co-founded and was the largest shareholder of PayPal, the world's leading electronic payment system, which sold to online auction giant eBay(TM) for $1.5 billion in 2002.

posted December 04, 2003 10:03 PM               

Announcing the Falcon V Launch Vehicle from SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) today announced that it has a substantial upgrade to its Falcon rocket family under development and scheduled for completion in 2005.

Drawing from experience with the single engine Falcon I, being unveiled in Washington DC today, SpaceX is developing a five engine version that will be the first American rocket with true engine out safety in three decades. Depending upon the phase of flight, Falcon V will be capable of losing any three of the five engines and still complete its mission. Engine related problems are the overwhelming cause of launch vehicle failures.

Not since the Apollo program’s Saturn V, developed over three decades ago, will there be this level of reliability available in the United States. Extremely rare among rockets, Saturn V had a flawless flight record, despite having an engine fail on two separate missions. Without engine out safety, the Apollo Moon program would have had two flight failures, possibly with tragic consequences.

The Falcon V also significantly increases the capability of the Falcon family, with a capacity of over 4.5 tons to low orbit and a 10 foot (3.05 meter) diameter payload fairing. The vehicle is also capable of launching missions to geostationary orbit and the inner solar system, as well as carrying supplies to the International Space Station with the addition of a lightweight automated transfer vehicle.

With firm contract pricing set at $12 million per flight (2003 dollars), the $1500 cost per pound to orbit will represent a new world record in the cost of access to space.

posted December 05, 2003 04:22 AM            

Maybe we should 'club' together at these orbital prices and launch our own collectSPACE memorabilia spacecraft?

posted May 28, 2005 09:44 AM            

They're suggesting mid July-ish for a first attempt at launch? Good luck to the team out there.

posted May 28, 2005 12:27 PM               

------------------
-Ben

posted September 11, 2005 11:21 AM            

It's capable of 55,000 lb to LEO in its heavy lifter configuration. Depending on fairing diameter the costs will range from $7 millon to $35 million.

posted December 20, 2005 02:24 AM            

I would expect that they will either have to ship out another stage to replace this one or return the current stage to USA for repair?

Phill

posted March 19, 2007 10:59 AM               

The flight readiness review conducted tonight shows all systems are go for a launch attempt at 4pm California time (11pm GMT) tomorrow (Monday). The webcast can be seen at www.spacex.com/webcast.php and will start at T-60 minutes. Please check back for updates, as the launch will be postponed if we have even the tiniest concern.

posted March 20, 2007 05:14 PM               

The abort that occurred a few minutes before T-0 was triggered by our ground control software. It commanded a switchover of range telemetry from landline to radio, which took place correctly, however, because of the hardware involved, this transition takes a few hundred milliseconds. Before it had time to complete, our system verification software examined state and aborted.

Our simulations done beforehand all passed, because the simulator did not account for a hardware driven delay in the transition. We considered putting the vehicle into a safe state yesterday and updating the ground control software to make the very minor fix needed, but the safer course of action was to stand down.

Yesterday afternoon and evening (Kwaj time), our launch team updated the software to address the timing issue and verified that there were no similar problems elsewhere. We ran the software through several simulated countdowns and then once again with the rocket and range in the loop.

All systems are now go for launch with T-0 at 4pm California time today (Tues).

posted March 20, 2007 09:07 PM               

I think I would characterize this as a very good day for SpaceX. We successfully reached space and really retired all risk associated with the rocket.

• First stage performed "flawlessly";
  
• Stage separation went "very well";
  
• Second stage ignition was "almost perfect";
  
• "We did encounter... a roll control anomaly."
  
• "We didn't achieve the desired orbit... it is not in its intended orbit."
  
• The roll control anomaly caused the second stage to shut off prematurely.
  
• "We got to 300 kilometers."
  
• The likelihood is that the second stage "reentered after about half an orbit." (To be confirmed later tonight.)

posted March 21, 2007 01:42 AM               

The second test launch of Falcon 1 took place today at 6:10 pm California time. The launch was not perfect, but certainly pretty good. Given that the primary objectives were demonstrating responsive launch and gathering test data in advance of our first operational satellite launch later this year, the outcome was great. Operationally responsive (ie fast) launch has become an increasingly important national security objective, so demonstrating rapid loading of propellents and launch in less than an hour, as well as a rapid recycle following the first engine ignition are major accomplishments.

We retired almost all of the significant development risk items, in particular:

- 1st stage ascent past max dynamic pressure

- avionics operation in vacuum and under radiation

- stage separation

- 2nd stage ignition

- fairing separation

- 2nd stage nozzle/chamber at steady state temp in vacuum

Falcon flew far beyond the "edge" of space, typically thought of as around 60 miles. Our altitude was approximately 200 miles, which is just 50 miles below the International Space Station. The second stage didn't achieve full orbital velocity, due to a roll excitation late in the burn, but that should be a comparatively easy fix once we examine the flight data. Since it is impossible to ground test the second stage under the same conditions it would see in spaceflight, this anomaly was also something that would have been very hard to determine without a test launch.

All in all, this test has flight proven 95+ percent of the Falcon 1 systems, which bodes really well for our upcoming flights of Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, which uses similar hardware. We do not expect any significant delay in the upcoming flights at this point. The Dept of Defense satellite launch is currently scheduled for late Summer and the Malaysian satellite for the Fall.

I'd like to thank DARPA and the Air Force for buying the two test flights and helping us work through a number of challenges over the past year. I'd also like to express my appreciation for the efforts of the Kwajalein Army Range (Reagan Test Site) and we look forward to many more launches in the future.

Finally, thank you to everyone at SpaceX for working so hard to make this a great test. This is a big leap forward for commercial spaceflight!

posted March 21, 2007 10:08 AM               

I must admit that it is embarrassing to hear Elon say that the orbital flight is a success when it did not make orbit. It is also incredible that after losing his first 2 payloads he is ready for business and will not have another test flight.

posted March 22, 2007 10:04 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by art540:
I wonder if there was a nozzle burn through causing the roll? What was that red color? combustion gases?

---

posted March 26, 2007 03:20 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by LCDR Scott Schneeweis:
Here's a video of the launch...note at ~ T+2:52 1st stage separation appears to impact the 2nd stage nozzle... yaw/pitch oscillation start to become apparent around vicinity of T+4:15 and and progressively worsen....

---

While the impact observed during separation failed to damage the second stage engine's nozzle, the cause is currently being blamed on the vehicle's rotation being fives times higher than the expected maximum.

'The nozzle impact during stage separation occurred due to a much higher than expected vehicle rotation rate of about 2.5 deg/sec vs. the maximum expected of 0.5 deg/sec. As the 2nd stage nozzle exited the interstage, the first stage was rotating so fast that it smacked the niobium nozzle,' Musk noted. 'There was no apparent damage to the nozzle, which is not a big surprise given that niobium is tough stuff.

posted January 28, 2008 04:35 PM               

On Jan. 18, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first multi-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor. The engines operated at full power, generating over 180,000 pounds of force, equivalent to a Boeing 777 at full power, and consuming 700 lbs per second of fuel and liquid oxygen during the run.

“This is a major hardware milestone for our company,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “It marks the first time that we have simultaneously fired two engines on the same stage. No significant problems were encountered transitioning from single-engine testing in November, which suggests that we will be able to ramp up rapidly to a full complement of nine Merlin engines. Our propulsion and test team has done a remarkable job.”

This two-engine test was the largest to date on the BFTS (Big Falcon Test Stand). The next run, scheduled for February, will use three engines operating for a full first stage mission duty cycle of three minutes. When operating in flight, the first stage will accelerate the 180-ft-long Falcon 9 vehicle to more than ten times the speed of sound in that short period of time. Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 second stage continues accelerating the payload to a final change in velocity that may be in excess of Mach 30 for missions beyond low Earth orbit.

The test series will continue with five, seven and finally the full complement of nine engines. With all engines firing, the Falcon 9 can generate over one million pounds of thrust in vacuum or four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. SpaceX has designed its Merlin engine for rapid mounting and change-out. A new engine can be installed in a period of hours, a feature that will provide significant operational efficiency and responsiveness on the launch pad.

The Merlin 1C next-generation, liquid-fueled rocket booster engine is among the highest performing gas generator cycle kerosene engines ever built, exceeding the Boeing Delta II main engine, the Lockheed Atlas II main engine, and on par with the Saturn V F-1 engine. It is the first new American booster engine in a decade and only the second American booster engine since the Space Shuttle Main Engine was developed thirty years ago.

Merlin 1C will power SpaceX’s next Falcon 1 mission, scheduled to lift off in Spring 2008 from the Central Pacific. The first Falcon 9 is scheduled for delivery to the SpaceX launch site at Cape Canaveral (Complex 40) by the end of 2008.

posted March 04, 2008 12:25 AM               

First SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Remains on Schedule for Delivery to Cape Canaveral

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) today announced its newly revised mission manifest listing twelve flights of its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles.

“We are on track to deliver our first Falcon 9 vehicle to Cape Canaveral by the end of 2008,” said Gwynne Shotwell, Vice President of Business Development for SpaceX. “In addition, we’re very pleased to have signed a significant new US government customer for our next Falcon 1 flight, and will be releasing details shortly.”

The full SpaceX mission manifest extends into 2011 and lists nine customers on twelve flights, including three demonstration flights of SpaceX’s new Dragon spacecraft for NASA, as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition.

CUSTOMER		TARGET DATE		VEHICLE		LAUNCH SITE
US Government & ATSB		Q2 2008		Falcon 1		Kwajalein
ATSB (Malaysia)		Q3 2008		Falcon 1		Kwajalein
US Government		Q4 2008		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)		2009		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
Avanti Communications (UK)		2009		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 1		2009		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 2		2009		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
SpaceDev		2009		Falcon 1		Kwajalein
NASA COTS - Demo 3		2010		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)		2010		Falcon 1		Kwajalein
Swedish Space Corp. (Sweden)		2010		Falcon 1		Kwajalein
Bigelow Aerospace		2011		Falcon 9		Cape Canaveral

Target date refers to delivery of the flight vehicle to the launch site. The actual launch date is dependent on a variety of factors, which may include regulatory approvals, launch range scheduling, weather, customer payload readiness and vehicle to launch pad integration.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With its Falcon line of launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer light, medium and heavy lift capability, delivering spacecraft into any inclination and altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous transfer orbit to interplanetary missions.

As winner of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition, SpaceX will conduct three flights of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for NASA. This will culminate in Dragon berthing with the International Space Station and returning safely to Earth. When the Shuttle retires in 2010, Falcon 9 / Dragon will have the opportunity to replace the Shuttle in providing both up and down transportation services to the Space Station.

posted April 23, 2008 01:13 PM               

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract to SpaceX

NASA has awarded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, a NASA Launch Services contract for the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles.

The NASA Launch Services contracts are multiple awards to multiple launch service providers. Twice per year, there is an opportunity for existing and emerging domestic launch service providers to submit proposals if their vehicles meet the minimum contract requirements.

The contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract where NASA may order launch services through June 30, 2010, for launches to occur through December 2012. Under the NASA Launch Services IDIQ contracts, the potential total contract value is between $20,000 and $1 billion, depending on the number of missions awarded.

The contract seeks a launch capability for payloads weighing 551 pounds or heavier into a circular orbit of 124 miles at an orbital inclination of 28.5 degrees. Payloads would be launched to support three NASA mission directorates: Science, Space Operations and Exploration Systems.

Because an IDIQ contract has been awarded to SpaceX, it can compete for NASA missions using the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles as specified by the NASA Launch Services contract process.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for program management. This award to SpaceX adds to the stable of launch vehicles available to NASA under previously awarded contracts. The original request for proposal was issued in 1999.

posted June 09, 2008 06:43 PM               

The small red octagon with the yellow '9' depicted on the lower left of the emblem is a miniature version of the Mercury-Atlas 9 souvenir patch:

It's inclusion is in reference to the flight of some of astronaut Gordon Cooper's remains aboard Falcon 1 as part of Celestis' The Explorers Flight.

posted June 23, 2008 08:14 PM               

The military informed SpaceX last week that mandatory support equipment and tracking stations in the Pacific Ocean are booked through the end of July, forcing officials to delay launch of the next Falcon 1 rocket, the company's founder said Friday.

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., said the U.S. Army range at Kwajalein Atoll will be busy with other activities for the next month.

"Launch is no sooner than late July to early August," Musk said. "We will use the time to do additional checkouts."

posted August 01, 2008 07:07 PM               

SpaceX Conducts Full Thrust Firing of Falcon 9 Rocket

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first nine engine firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on July 31st. A second firing on August 1st completed a major NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) milestone almost two months early.

At full power, the nine engines consumed 3,200 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second, and generated almost 850,000 pounds of force - four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. This marks the first firing of a Falcon 9 first stage with its full complement of nine Merlin 1C engines. Once a near term Merlin 1C fuel pump upgrade is complete, the sea level thrust will increase to 950,000 lbf, making Falcon 9 the most powerful single core vehicle in the United States.

"This was the most difficult milestone in development of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and it also constitutes a significant achievement in US space vehicle development. Not since the final flight of the Saturn 1B rocket in 1975, has a rocket had the ability to lose any engine or motor and still successfully complete its mission," said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. "Much like a commercial airliner, our multi-engine design has the potential to provide significantly higher reliability than single engine competitors."

"We made a major advancement from the previous five engine test by adding four new Merlin engines at once," said Tom Mueller, Vice President of Propulsion for SpaceX. "All phases of integration went smoothly and we were elated to see all nine engines working perfectly in concert."

posted August 02, 2008 01:43 PM               

SpaceX Sets August 2 for Falcon 1 launch

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has scheduled the launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission for Saturday, August 2nd. The launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT) and remain open for five hours. If launch is delayed for any reason, SpaceX has range availability to resume countdown through August 5.

Lift-off of the vehicle will occur from SpaceXХs Falcon 1launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll, about 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Falcon 1 launch facilities are situated on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific.

Designed from the ground up by SpaceX at headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., Falcon 1 is a two-stage, liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene powered launch vehicle. The first stage is powered by a single SpaceX Merlin 1C Regenerative engine Р flying for the first time on this Flight 3 mission. A Тhold before liftoffУ system enhances reliability by permitting all systems to be verified as functioning nominally before launch is initiated. The Falcon 1 second stage is powered by a single SpaceX Kestrel engine.

Falcon 1 is the first new orbital rocket in more than a decade. Merlin is the first new American hydrocarbon engine for an orbital booster to be flown in more than 40 years and only the second new American engine of any kind in more than a quarter century. After achieving orbit, Falcon 1 will be the first privately developed, liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.

The primary customers for the Falcon 1 launch are the Department of Defense, Government of Malaysia and NASA. Falcon 1 is carrying a payload stack of three separating satellites that will orbit at an inclination of 9 degrees:

• The Trailblazer satellite was developed by SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., for the Jumpstart Program of DoDХs Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, as a test platform to validate the hardware, software and processes of an accelerated microsatellite launch. Trailblazer is deployed from the Falcon 1 second stage shortly after the shut-down of the second stage engine, about 10 minutes into flight.

• Deploying four to eight minutes later will be two NASA small satellites: PRESat, a micro laboratory from NASAХs Ames Research Center, and then NanoSail-D, which will unfurl an ultra-thin solar sail, developed by NASAХs Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with NASA Ames Research Center.

• The three separating satellites attach to the Falcon 1 second stage via the Secondary Payload Adaptor and Separation System, (SPASS), developed by ATSB, a company owned by the Government of Malaysia that develops and commercializes space technology. The SPASS was engineered by Space Access Technologies of Ashburn, Va.

SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission via webcast at: www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 30 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site at the Kawjalein Atoll, as well as a special video tour of SpaceX facilities by Elon Musk, CEO and CTO.