List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches

Since June 2010, rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 334 times, with 332 full mission successes, two failures,^[a] and one partial success. Designed and operated by SpaceX, the Falcon 9 family includes the retired versions Falcon 9 v1.0, v1.1, and v1.2 "Full Thrust" (blocks 3 and 4), 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.^[1]

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.^[2] In December 2015, Falcon 9 became the first rocket to land propulsively after delivering a payload into orbit.^[3] This reusability results in significantly reduced launch costs, as the cost of the first stage constitutes the majority of the cost of a new rocket.^[4][5] Falcon family boosters have successfully landed 299 times in 310 attempts. A total of 42 boosters have flown multiple missions, with a record of 20 missions by a booster. SpaceX has also reflown fairing halves more than 300 times, with some being reflown for eleven or more times.^[6]

Typical missions include launches of SpaceX's Starlink satellites (accounting for a majority of the Falcon manifest), Dragon crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station, and launches of commercial and military satellites to LEO, polar, and geosynchronous orbits. The heaviest payloads launched on Falcon are batches of 24 Starlink V2-Mini satellites weighing 17,500 kg (38,600 lb) total, a configuration first flown February 2024,^[7] landing on ASDS. The heaviest payload launched to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was the 9,200 kg (20,300 lb) Jupiter-3 on 29 July 2023. Launches to higher-orbits have included DSCOVR to Sun–Earth Lagrange point L₁, TESS to a lunar flyby, a Tesla Roadster to a heliocentric orbit extending past the orbit of Mars, DART to the asteroid Didymos, Euclid to Sun-Earth Lagrange point L₂, and Psyche to the asteroid Psyche.

Launch statistics[edit]

Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 334 times over 14 years, resulting in 332 full successes (99.4%), one in-flight failure (SpaceX CRS-7), and one partial success (SpaceX CRS-1 delivered its cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but a secondary payload was stranded in a lower-than-planned orbit). Additionally, one rocket and its payload AMOS-6 were destroyed before launch in preparation for an on-pad static fire test. The active version, Falcon 9 Block 5, has flown 269 missions, all full successes.

In 2022 Falcon 9 set a new record of 60 launches (all successful) by the same launch vehicle type in a calendar year. The previous record was held by Soyuz-U, which had 47 launches (45 successful) in 1979.^[8] In 2023 Falcon 9 family set a new record of 96 launches (all successful) by the same launch vehicle family in a calendar year. The previous record was held by R-7 rocket family, which had 63 launches (61 successful) in 1980.^[b][9]

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 Falcon 9 Full Thrust 305 times from December 2015 to present. The latest Full Thrust variant, Block 5, was introduced in May 2018.^[10] While the Block 4 boosters were only flown twice and required several months of refurbishment, Block 5 versions were certified to sustain 10 flights and have since been recertified for 15 and then 20 flights per booster.^[11] SpaceX is currently planning to further increase the Falcon re-flight certification to 40 flights per booster; the limit of 20 flights has been reached.^[12]

The Falcon Heavy derivative consists of a strengthened Falcon 9 first stage as its center core, with two additional Falcon 9 first stages attached and used as boosters, both of which are fitted with an aerodynamic nosecone instead of a usual Falcon 9 interstage.^[13]

Falcon 9 first-stage boosters landed successfully in 299 of 310 attempts (96.5%), with 274 out of 278 (98.6%) for the Falcon 9 Block 5 version. A total of 271 re-flights of first stage boosters have all successfully launched their payloads.

Past launches[edit]

2010 to 2019[edit]

2020 to 2022[edit]

2023[edit]

SpaceX launched vehicles of the Falcon family 96 times (91 Falcon 9 and 5 Falcon Heavy launches) in 2023. SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, and SpaceX President, Gwynne Shotwell, had stated in late 2022 and early 2023 respectively, that the company would attempt up to 100 Falcon launches in 2023.^[14][15] In any event, SpaceX did increase their launch cadence, exceeding their previous yearly record of 61 launches and the previous yearly world record of 64 launches by a rocket family by September 2023. Then they went on to become the first^{[citation needed]} family to complete 70 launches, 80 launches, 90 launches in a year by October, November and December 2023 respectively.^[16] Notably, SpaceX completed 100 launches (including Starship, two of which have flown this year) in a consecutive 365 days (a year) time period between 8 December 2022, 22:27 UTC and 8 December 2023, 8:03 UTC.^[17] Excluding undisclosed payload masses, SpaceX has launched over 1,238 tonnes of payload to orbit this year,^[18] or 2.25 times the mass of a Falcon 9 rocket ready for takeoff.^[19]

2024[edit]

As of April 18, 2024, there have been 40 launches in 2024. Bill Gerstenmaier told the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee's space subcommittee in October 2023 that the company is targeting roughly 144 flights, or 12 flights per month, for 2024.^[252] Kiko Dontchev stated that the launch system (pads, recovery, flight hardware) needs to be capable of 13 launches per month to catch up average launch cadence when planned maintenance, debacles and weather inevitably slows down the cadence.^[253] Musk stated that SpaceX aims to increase the total launch mass to orbit by Falcon family by ~50% in 2024.^[254] Later, Jon Edwards stated a slightly higher goal of 148 Falcon launches for this year at the 2024 Annual Astro Awards Ceremony organised by Tim Dodd.^[255]

Future launches[edit]

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.^[327] Tentative launch dates are cited from various sources for each launch.^{[328][329][330][331]} Launches are expected to take place "no earlier than" (NET) the listed date. The number of Starlink satellites per launch indicated with an ~ is an expectation based on previous launches to the same orbit, as the exact number is rarely published more than three days in advance.

2024[edit]

2025[edit]

2026 and beyond[edit]

Notable launches[edit]

First flights and contracts[edit]

On 4 June 2010, the first Falcon 9 launch successfully placed a test payload into the intended orbit.^[465] The second launch of Falcon 9 was COTS Demo Flight 1, which placed an operational Dragon capsule in orbit on 8 December 2010.^[466] The capsule re-entered the atmosphere after two orbits, allowing for testing the reentry procedures. The capsule was recovered off the coast of Mexico^[467] and then placed on display at SpaceX headquarters.^[468] The remaining objectives of the NASA COTS qualification program were combined into a single Dragon C2+ mission, on the condition that all milestones would be validated in space before berthing Dragon to the ISS.^[469] The Dragon capsule was propelled to orbit in May 2012, and following successful tests in the next days it was grabbed with the station's robotic arm (Canadarm2) and docked to the ISS docking port for the first time on 25 May. After successfully completing all the return procedures, the recovered Dragon C2+ capsule was put on display at Kennedy Space Center.^[470] Thus, Falcon 9 and Dragon 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 cargo deliveries.^[471]

The first operational cargo resupply mission to ISS, the fourth flight of Falcon 9, was launched in October 2012. An engine suffered a loss of pressure at 76 seconds after liftoff, which caused an automatic shutdown of that engine, but the remaining eight first-stage engines continued to burn and the Dragon capsule reached orbit successfully and thus demonstrated the rocket's "engine out" capability in flight.^[472] Due to ISS visiting vehicle safety rules, at NASA's request, the secondary payload Orbcomm-2 was released into a lower-than-intended orbit.^[473] Despite this incident, Orbcomm said they gathered useful test data from the mission and later in 2014, launched more satellites via SpaceX.^[474] 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.^[475]

Following unsuccessful attempts at recovering the first stage with parachutes, SpaceX upgraded to a much larger first stage booster and with greater thrust, termed Falcon 9 v1.1, and performed a demonstration flight of this version in September 2013.^[476] After the second stage separation and delivering CASSIOPE, a very small payload relative to the rocket's capability, 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.^[477]

Loss of CRS-7 mission[edit]

In June 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 (and only as of Sep 2023) primary mission loss for any Falcon 9 rocket.^[478] In addition to ISS consumables and experiments, this mission carried the first International Docking Adapter (IDA-1), whose loss delayed preparedness of the station's US Orbital Segment (USOS) for future crewed missions.^[479]

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.^[480] 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.^[481][482] 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.^[483]

Full-thrust version and first booster landings[edit]

After pausing launches for months, SpaceX launched on 22 December 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,^[484] 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.^[485] After recovery, the first stage booster performed further ground tests and then was put on permanent display outside SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.^[486]

On 8 April 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.^[487] This was the fourth attempt to land on a drone ship, as part of the company's experimental controlled-descent and landing tests.^[488]

Loss of AMOS-6 on the launch pad[edit]

On 1 September 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.^[489] 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.^[490]

Zuma launch[edit]

Zuma was a classified United States government satellite and was developed and built by Northrop Grumman at an estimated cost of US$3.5 billion.^[491] 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.^[492] Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Zuma spacecraft was lost,^[493] 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.^[493] 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".^[493] 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.^[494][491] Due to the classified nature of the mission, no further official information is expected.^[493]

Falcon Heavy test flight[edit]

Liftoff of Falcon Heavy on its maiden flight (left) and its two side-boosters landing at LZ-1 and LZ-2 a few minutes later (right)

The maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy occurred on 6 February 2018, temporarily making it the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V, with a theoretical payload capacity to low Earth orbit more than double the Delta IV Heavy.^[495][496] Both side boosters landed nearly simultaneously after a ten-minute flight. The central core failed to land on a floating platform at sea.^[497] The rocket carried a car and a mannequin to an eccentric heliocentric orbit that reaches further than aphelion of Mars.^[498]

First crewed flights[edit]

On 2 March 2019, SpaceX launched its first orbital flight of Dragon 2 (Crew Dragon). 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.^[499] Also on board was Earth plush toy referred to as a "Super high tech zero-g indicator".^[500] The toy became a hit with astronaut Anne McClain, who showed the plushy on the ISS each day^[501] and also deciding to keep it on board to experience the crewed SpX-DM2.

The Dragon spent six days in space, including five days 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 8 March 2019, at 08:45 EST, 320 km (200 mi) off the coast of Florida.^[502]

SpaceX held a successful launch of the first commercial orbital human space flight on 30 May 2020, crewed with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. Both astronauts focused on conducting tests on the Crew Dragon capsule. Crew Dragon successfully returned to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico on 2 August 2020.^[503]

Reuse of the first stage[edit]

SpaceX has developed a program to reuse the first-stage booster, setting multiple booster reflight records:

• B1021 became, on 30 March 2017, the first booster to be successfully recovered a second time, on Flight 32 launching the SES-10 satellite. After that, it was retired and put on display at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.^[504]
• B1046, the first Block 5 booster, became the first to launch three times, carrying Spaceflight SSO-A on 3 December 2018.
• B1048 was the first booster to be recovered four times on 11 November 2019, and the first to perform a fifth flight on 18 March 2020, but the booster was lost during re-entry.
• B1049 was the first booster to be recovered five times on 4 June 2020, six times on 18 August 2020, and seven times on 25 November 2020.
• B1051 became the first booster to be recovered eight times on 20 January 2021, nine times on 14 March 2021, and ten times on 9 May 2021, achieving one of SpaceX's milestone goals for reuse. It then became the first booster to be recovered eleven times on 18 December 2021, and twelve times on 19 March 2022.^{[505][506][507][508]}
• B1060 became the first booster to be recovered 13 times on 17 June 2022.
• B1058 became the first booster to be recovered 14 times on 11 September 2022, 15 times on 17 December 2022, 16 times on 10 July 2023, 17 times on 20 September 2023, 18 times on 4 November 2023 and 19 times on 23 December 2023.
• B1069 launched and returned a hosted box containing two FIFA 2022 World Cup Adidas Al Rihla on 15 October 2022 for a sub-orbital flight, the first payload on a Falcon 9 booster.^[509]
• B1061 became the only booster on 30 December 2022 to launch from all SpaceX's different launch sites and on all of SpaceX's different landing zones and drone ships (except rarely used LZ-2 that is located nearby LZ-1).
• B1062 booster holds the record for fastest turnaround at 21 days. It launched on 8 April and again on 29 April 2022.^[27]
• B1080 became the first booster to land onshore after launching a crewed mission (Ax-2) on 21 May 2023.
• B1062 became the first booster to fly twenty times on 13 April 2024.

See also[edit]

• List of Falcon 1 launches
• List of Falcon 9 first-stage boosters
• List of SpaceX Dragon 1 missions
• List of SpaceX Dragon 2 missions
• List of Starlink and Starshield launches
• List of SpaceX Starship flight tests

Notes[edit]

References[edit]