Falcon 9: The Epic of Success Continues

The previous record of 23 uses of the reusable first stage also belongs to Falcon 9. On December 9 of this year, the launch vehicle was launched from Cape Canaveral to deliver the SXM-8,5 satellite into orbit. Just XNUMX minutes after launch, the first stage of the launch vehicle successfully landed on the floating platform.


It is possible that this is not the last use of the block. Previously, three other first stages returned back 23 times and now one of them has outpaced its "rivals".

Features of repeated launches

When developing the program, it was assumed that the returned stages would be used no more than 10 times. However, we see that the figure was underestimated. After each launch, the unit is carefully examined, and if necessary, some of the parts and units are replaced. At the same time, the gap between the return of the unit and its new launch is constantly decreasing. Today, it is several weeks.

The December 4 launch also marks other “anniversaries.” It marks the 380th successful return of the booster to the Just Read the Instructions unmanned floating platform and the 9th landing in the Falcon XNUMX’s history. However, the journey to such impressive results was not easy.

Brief history of Falcon 9

Elon Musk told the Senate Committee on SpaceX that he is creating a reusable launch vehicle. transport and science in the spring of 2004. The essence of his report was how to launch satellites into orbit at lower costs. Falcon 9 was officially presented in September 2005. At that time, Musk announced the launch cost: $27 million for launching 9,5 tons of payload into space. Falcon testing began in January 2008. It was necessary to check all nine engines. By the way, this number is used in the name of the launch vehicle.


Testing was completed on 22.11.2008: all units worked, according to calculations at the time, for 178 seconds – a time corresponding to the duration of the flight. The first launch of the rocket was planned for the end of 2008, but the event was constantly postponed.


The launch of Falcon 9 and the first successful return of the booster stage back to Earth (the same Cape Canaveral) occurred only on December 22.12.2015, 11. At that time, XNUMX satellites were launched into orbit.


Six months later, the booster of the same launch vehicle managed to land on a floating platform, which had never happened before in the history of rocket engineering. And at the end of March 2017, the same stage was used again and – again, a successful landing on the “barge”.

How does the return happen?

First, the first stage accelerates the second stage to maximum, then turns off its engines and undocks after 2,5 minutes at an altitude of 70 km. The time and ceiling depend on the weight of the payload and the type of orbit.


The latter can be lower or higher (near-Earth, geotransitional, etc.). Then the first stage maneuvers to avoid the exhaust of the block going into space and turns around. To do this, the device has to make a complex "loop", the height of which can reach 200 km.


Then, having descended to 70 km, the stage starts the braking engines. Their operating time is from 15 to 30 seconds. At the same time, the rudder system is activated, directing the unit to the desired location. Having descended to 40 km, the device turns off the engines. Half a minute before landing, the central power unit is activated, ensuring a soft landing.

Prospects for Falcon 9

The economic return from using a reusable first stage is obvious. And this is despite the fact that the mass of the payload on the shuttle is reduced by 30-40%. Such a "disadvantage" is associated with the need to preserve the fuel supply for the braking engines. At the beginning of 2024, the launch of Falcon 9 with the launch of a spacecraft (5,5 tons) into orbit cost $69,75 million or 12 thousand 680 "greenbacks" per "kilo".


As for Roscosmos, the price of a Proton M launch in 2020 cost a commercial customer $65 million. But that was 4 years ago. There is no more recent data from the Russian Federation yet. Of course: prices will rise for both Musk and Roscosmos. And this month, from December 12 to 30, SpaceX has at least 6 more launches planned.