Falcon 9
A two-stage, partially-reusable orbital rocket and the backbone of SpaceX's launch business.
Flight record
About Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle designed and operated by SpaceX. Its defining feature is a first stage that returns to a landing — on a ground pad or an autonomous droneship at sea — to be refurbished and flown again, a capability that has driven the cost of access to orbit down sharply and made SpaceX the highest-cadence launch provider in the world.
Powered by nine Merlin engines on the first stage and a single vacuum-optimised Merlin on the second, Falcon 9 lofts Starlink satellites, commercial and government payloads, cargo Dragon and crew Dragon missions to the International Space Station. The current Block 5 configuration is rated for many reflights per booster, with individual first stages having flown well into the twenties.
Version history
v1.0
2010–2013The original Falcon 9 with Merlin 1C engines in a square 'tic-tac-toe' arrangement. Five flights, all expendable.
v1.1
2013–2016Stretched tanks, upgraded Merlin 1D engines in the octaweb layout, and the first landing-leg recovery attempts.
Full Thrust (v1.2)
2015–2018Densified, sub-cooled propellant for more performance. Achieved the first successful first-stage landings, on land and at sea.
Block 5
2018–presentThe final, most-reused configuration — designed for rapid, repeated reflight with minimal refurbishment. The only version still flying.
Flight history
Frequently asked questions
Specifications
- Height
- 70 m
- Diameter
- 3.7 m
- Launch mass
- 549 kg
- Payload to
- 22,800 kg
- Payload to
- 8,300 kg
- Thrust at liftoff
- 7,607 kN
- Cost per launch
- $52M
- Reusable
- Yes
Vehicle profile
Key dates
- First flight
- Jun 4, 2010
- First droneship landing
- Apr 8, 2016
- First reflight of a booster
- Mar 30, 2017
- First crewed flight (Demo-2)
- May 30, 2020
Official links
Falcon 9 launches
Every upcoming and past Falcon 9 launch — live countdowns, mission details and launch history.
Upcoming Launches
MRV-1
Jul 21, 2026, 9:15 PM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Starlink Group 17-51
Jul 25, 2026, 2:00 PM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 17-52
Jul 29, 2026, 2:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
NROL-95
Jul 30, 2026, 6:37 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x 9)
Aug 31, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
BlueBird Block 2 #6-8
Aug 31, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer D
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer E
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer F
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer A
Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Previous Launches
Starlink Group 17-39
Jul 21, 2026, 2:49 PM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E
Jul 16, 2026, 8:32 PM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 10-45
Jul 14, 2026, 9:10 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Starlink Group 15-14
Jul 14, 2026, 1:28 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 17-48
Jul 11, 2026, 3:01 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 10-42
Jul 9, 2026, 9:25 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Transporter 17 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Jul 7, 2026, 7:12 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 10-50
Jul 5, 2026, 10:50 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Starlink Group 17-46
Jul 2, 2026, 2:58 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Sirius SXM-11
Jun 29, 2026, 2:25 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Starlink Group 17-40
Jun 28, 2026, 4:09 PM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Starlink Group 17-45
Jun 25, 2026, 3:30 AM
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
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