Falcon 1
Falcon 1 rocket in front of the FAA building in Washington DC. The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D
Fact sheet
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	21. In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation ( SpaceX) is an American space-transportation Startup company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 3 m (70 ft)
Diameter	1. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 7 m (5. 5 ft)
Mass	38,555 kg (85,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	670 kg (1480 lb)
Payload to SSO	430 kg (990 lb)
Launch History
Status	Active
Launch sites	Omelek Island SLC-3W Vandenberg AFB (unused, closed)
Total launches	2
Failures	2
Maiden flight	March 24, 2006 22:30 GMT
First Stage
Engines	1 Merlin 1C (first two launches with Merlin 1A)
Thrust	454 kN (102,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	255 s (sea level) (2. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km This article is about a class of orbits about the Earth For a class of orbits around the sun see Heliosynchronous orbit. Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Vandenberg Air Force Base 's Space Launch Complex 3 (SLC-3 was a launch platform for the Atlas rocket system Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Merlin is a Rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface 6 kN·s/kg)
Burn time	169 seconds
Fuel	RP-1/LOX
Second Stage
Engines	1 Kestrel
Thrust	31 kN (7,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	327 s (vacuum) (3. Usage and history RP-1 is most commonly burned with LOX ( Liquid oxygen) as the oxidizer though other oxidizers have also been used The Kestrel engine is an RP-1 / Liquid oxygen pressure-fed Rocket engine. Specific impulse (usually abbreviated I sp is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines This vacuum means "absence of matter" or "an empty area or space" for the cleaning appliance see Vacuum cleaner. 2 kN·s/kg))
Burn time	378 seconds
Fuel	RP-1/LOX

The Falcon 1 is a partially reusable launch system, designed and manufactured by SpaceX, a space-transportation startup company founded by entrepreneur and PayPal founder Elon Musk to provide commercial launch-to-space services. Usage and history RP-1 is most commonly burned with LOX ( Liquid oxygen) as the oxidizer though other oxidizers have also been used In Spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a Rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into Outer space. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation ( SpaceX) is an American space-transportation Startup company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Space transport is the use of Spacecraft to Transport people or cargo through Outer space. A startup company or start-up is a Company with a limited operating history An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome PayPal is an E-commerce business allowing payments and Money transfers to be made through the Internet. Elon Musk (born 28 June 1971) is an Entrepreneur and a co-founder of PayPal and SpaceX. The two-stage-to-orbit rocket uses Lox/RP-1 for both stages, the first powered by a single Merlin engine and the second powered by a single Kestrel engine. A two-stage-to-orbit ( TSTO or DSTO - Double/Dual-Stage-To-Orbit launch vehicle is a spacecraft in which two distinct stages provide propulsion A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the Usage and history RP-1 is most commonly burned with LOX ( Liquid oxygen) as the oxidizer though other oxidizers have also been used Merlin is a Rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets The Kestrel engine is an RP-1 / Liquid oxygen pressure-fed Rocket engine.

Two test launches of the Falcon 1 have been conducted in 2006 and 2007, neither of which achieved orbit. According to SpaceX the second test launch was in their view however largely successful and Falcon 1 will now obtain operational status. ^[1]

Contents 1 Design, components and launch sequence 1.1 First stage 1.2 Second stage 2 Launcher versions 3 Launch log 4 Launches 4.1 First test flight 4.2 Second test flight 4.2.1 Events leading to launch 4.2.2 SpaceX reaction and proposed remedy of problems 5 Further missions 6 Private funding 7 Pricing 8 Launch sites 9 Notes 10 External links

Design, components and launch sequence

According to SpaceX the Falcon 1 is designed to minimize price per launch for low-Earth-orbit satellites, increase reliability, optimize flight environment and time to launch. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km This article is about artificial satellites For natural satellites also known as moons see Natural satellite. ^[2] It is also intended to verify components and structural design concepts that will be reused in the Falcon 9. The Falcon 9 is an EELV class Launch vehicle planned by SpaceX and scheduled to launch in 2009

At launch of the vehicle, the main engine of the first stage (Merlin) is ignited and throttled to full power while the launcher is restrained and all systems are verified by the flight computer. If the systems are operating correctly, the rocket is released and clears the tower in about seven seconds. The first-stage burn lasts about 2:49 minutes. Stage separation is accomplished with explosive bolts and a pneumatically actuated pusher system. A pyrotechnic fastener (also called an explosive bolt, or pyro, within context is a Fastener, usually a nut or bolt that incorporates a pyrotechnic The first stage returns by parachute to a water landing and is recovered for reuse, while the second stage is not reusable. A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag. The second stage with its Kestrel engine is ignited after stage separation and burns for another six minutes and inserts the payload into a low Earth orbit.

First stage

The first stage is made from friction-stir-welded aluminum alloy. Friction-stir welding ( FSW) is a solid-state joining process (meaning the metal is not melted during the process and is used for applications WikipediaNaming An alloy is a Solid solution or Homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a Metal, which itself has It employs a common bulkhead between the LOX and RP-1 tanks, as well as flight pressure stabilization. It can be transported safely without pressurization (like the heavier Delta II isogrid design) but gains additional strength when pressurized for flight (like the Atlas II, which cannot be transported unpressurized). Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of Launch vehicles which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s The resulting design has the highest mass fraction of any current first stage. See also Mass fraction (chemistry In Aerospace engineering, the propellant mass fraction is a measure of a vehicle's performance determined as the portion The parachute system, built by Irvin Para­chute Corp­oration, uses a high-speed drogue chute and a main chute. A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag. Due to problems with LOX boil-off during the launch of the first vehicle, future vehicles are expected to have foam insulation applied to the exterior of the LOX tank.

Second stage

The second stage tanks are built with a cryogenic-compatible aluminum–lithium alloy. Cryogenics is often used incorrectly to refer to Cryonics, cryopreserving humans or animals Lithium (ˈlɪθiəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Li and Atomic number 3 The helium pressurization system pumps propellant to the engine, supplies pressurized gas for the attitude control thrusters, and is used for zero-g propellant accumulation prior to engine restart. Helium ( He) is a colorless odorless tasteless non-toxic Inert Monatomic Chemical Ullage motors or Ullage engines are relatively small independently-fueled Rocket engines that may be fired to accelerate the rocket prior to main engine ignition The pressure tanks are made by Arde corporation and are the same as those used in the Delta IV. The Delta IV is a family of Delta Rockets designed by Boeing 's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in United Launch Alliance's They consist of an inconel shell wrapped by a composite. Inconel is a registered Trademark of Special Metals Corporation that refers to a family of Austenitic Nickel -based Superalloys Inconel Composite materials (or composites for short are engineered Materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical

Launcher versions

Version	Falcon 1 (Merlin A; 2006-2007)	Falcon 1 (Merlin C; 2007-2009)	Falcon 1e (2009 and later)
Stage 0	—	—	—
Stage 1	1 × Merlin 1A	1 × Merlin 1C	1 × Merlin 1C
Stage 2	1 × Kestrel	1 × Kestrel	1 × Kestrel
Height (max; m)	21. Merlin is a Rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets Merlin is a Rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets Merlin is a Rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets The Kestrel engine is an RP-1 / Liquid oxygen pressure-fed Rocket engine. The Kestrel engine is an RP-1 / Liquid oxygen pressure-fed Rocket engine. The Kestrel engine is an RP-1 / Liquid oxygen pressure-fed Rocket engine. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 3	22. 25	26. 83
Diameter (m)	1. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 7	1. 7	1. 7
Initial thrust (kN)	318	343	454
Takeoff weight (tonnes)	27. The newton (symbol N) is the SI derived unit of Force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on Classical This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. 2	33. 23	38. 56
Fairing diameter (Inner; m)	1. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 5	1. 71	1. 71
Payload (LEO; kg)	570 (or less to SSO)	450 (or less to SSO)	700 (or 430 to SSO)
Payload (GTO; kg)	—	—	—
Price (Mil. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km This article is about a class of orbits about the Earth For a class of orbits around the sun see Heliosynchronous orbit. This article is about a class of orbits about the Earth For a class of orbits around the sun see Heliosynchronous orbit. This article is about a class of orbits about the Earth For a class of orbits around the sun see Heliosynchronous orbit. A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit USD)	6. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 7	7	8. 5
minimal Price/kg (LEO; USD)	11,754	15,556	12,687 or 19,767 to SSO
minimal Price/kg (GTO; USD)	—	—	—
Success ratio (successful/total)	0/2	—	—

^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Launch log

Flight No	Date & Time (GMT)	Launch Site	Payload/Customer	Outcome	Remarks
1	24 March 2006, 22:30 (25 March, 09:30 local)	Omelek	FalconSat–2/DARPA	Failure	Engine failure at T+25 seconds Loss of vehicle
2	21 March 2007 01:10 (13:10 local)	Omelek	DemoSat/DARPA	Failure	Successful first stage burn and transition to second stage, maximum altitude 289 km Harmonic oscillation at T+5 minutes Premature engine shutdown at T+7 min 30 s Failed to reach orbit Failed to recover first stage Claimed to be a "Partial success" as it gathered enough data for operational flights[8]
Scheduled Launches[9]
	23 June 2008 23:00	Omelek	Trailblazer/ORS TBD/ATSB Explorers/Celestis (TBC)[9]	Scheduled
	31 August 2008	Omelek	Razaksat/ATSB (Malaysia) CubeSats/CalPoly	Scheduled
	First Quarter 2009	Vandenberg AFB	Unknown/SpaceDev	Scheduled
	Third Quarter 2009	Vandenberg AFB	Unknown/MDA Corporation	Scheduled
	Fourth Quarter 2009	Vandenberg AFB	Unknown/Swedish Space Corp. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO is generally defined as an Orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2000 km The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been This article is about a class of orbits about the Earth For a class of orbits around the sun see Heliosynchronous orbit. A Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or Geostationary Transfer Orbit ( GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a Low Earth orbit The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. FalconSAT is the name of the United States Air Force Academy 's small Satellite engineering program Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. A DemoSat is a boilerplate spacecraft used to test a Carrier rocket without risking a real satellite on the launch Oscillation is the repetitive variation typically in Time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of Equilibrium) or between two or more different states Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS Office is a joint initiative of several agencies within the United States Department of Defense (DoD Celestis is a company which launches Cremains, or cremated human remains into space. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. RazakSAT is a Malaysian Low Earth Orbit (LEO A CubeSat is a type of space research picosatellite with dimensions usually of 10×10×10 Centimetres (i California Polytechnic State University, also officially recognized as Cal Poly, is a nationally ranked Public university located in San Luis Obispo This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. SpaceDev is a publicly traded space development company in the Aerospace industry now most prominent for its Spaceflight and Microsatellite work This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.	Scheduled

Launches

First test flight

Launch sequence (maiden flight example); time scale is in seconds.

The maiden flight of the Falcon 1 was launched on Saturday, 24 March 2006 at 22:30 UTC. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It ended in failure about a minute into the flight due to a fuel line leak and subsequent fire. The launch took place from the SpaceX spaceport at Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands. Omelek Island is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

The launch was postponed several times due to various technical issues with the new vehicle. Scheduling conflicts with a Titan IV launch at Vandenberg AFB also caused delays and resulted in the launch moving to the Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll. The Titan IV family (including the IVA and IVB of Space boosters were used by the U Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, commonly referred to as the Reagan Test Site, is a Missile test range in the Pacific Ocean. Kwajalein Atoll ( Marshallese: Kuwajleen; kʷuwːɔ͡ɛt̪ʲl̪ʲɪn̪ʲ common English pronunciation ˈkwɑːʤəlɨ̞n often nicknamed Kwaj The first launch attempt on 19 December 2005 was scrubbed when a faulty valve caused a vacuum in the first stage fuel tank which sucked inward and caused structural damage. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After replacing the first stage, Falcon 1 launched Saturday, 25 March 2006 at 09:30 local time. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. UTC+12 is a Time zone for the following locations Fiji Gilbert Islands, Kiribati Marshall Islands The DARPA payload was the United States Air Force Academy’s FalconSAT–2, which would have measured space plasma phenomena. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new Technology The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air FalconSAT is the name of the United States Air Force Academy 's small Satellite engineering program In Physics and Chemistry, plasma is an Ionized Gas, in which a certain proportion of Electrons are free rather than being bound

The vehicle had a noticeable rolling motion after liftoff, as shown on the launch video, rocking back and forth a bit, and then at T+26 seconds rapidly pitched over. Impact occurred at T+41 seconds onto a dead reef about 250 feet from the launch site. The FalconSAT–2 payload separated from the booster and landed on the island, with damage reports varying from slight to significant. FalconSAT is the name of the United States Air Force Academy 's small Satellite engineering program ^[10]

SpaceX initially attributed the fire to an improperly tightened fuel-line nut. A later review by DARPA found that the nut was properly tightened, since its locking wire was still in place, but had failed due to corrosion. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new Technology

SpaceX implemented numerous changes to the rocket design and software to prevent this type of failure from recurring, including stainless steel to replace aluminum hardware (which is actually cheaper in cost although the trade off is being a little heavier in weight) and pre-liftoff computer checks that increased by a factor of thirty. ^[11][12]

Second test flight

Events leading to launch

The second test flight was originally scheduled for January, but was delayed due to problems with the second stage. Before the January launch date, SpaceX had stated earlier potential launch dates, moving from September 2006 to November and December. In December the launch was rescheduled for 9 March, but delayed because of range availability issues caused by a Minuteman III test flight which would re-enter over Kwajelen. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. The LGM-30 Minuteman is a United States nuclear Missile, a land-based Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM The launch attempt on 19 March was delayed 45 minutes from 23:00 GMT due to a data relay issue, and then scrubbed one minute and two seconds before launch at 23:45 due to a computer issue, whereby the safety computer incorrectly detected a transmission failure due to a hardware delay of a few milliseconds in the process. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. A millisecond (from Milli- and Second; abbreviation ms is one thousandth of a Second. The 20 March attempt was delayed 65 minutes, from an originally planned time of 23:00 due to a problem with communications between one of the NASA experiments in the payload, and the TDRS system. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. A Tracking and Data Relay Satellite ( TDRS) is one of a network of Communications satellites of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS used

The launch attempt on March 21, 2007 was aborted at 00:05 GMT at the last second before launch and after the engine had ignited. It was however decided that another launch should be made the same day. The rocket was launched successfully at 01:10 GMT on 21 March 2007 with a DemoSat payload for DARPA and NASA. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A DemoSat is a boilerplate spacecraft used to test a Carrier rocket without risking a real satellite on the launch The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new Technology The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The rocket performed well during the first stage burn. However, during staging, the interstage fairing on the top of the first stage bumped the second stage engine bell. ^[13] The bump occurred as the second stage nozzle exited the interstage, with the first stage rotating much higher than expected (a rotation rate of about 2. 5 deg/s vs. expected rate of 0. 5 deg/s maximum), thereby making contact with the niobium nozzle of the second stage. Niobium (naɪˈoʊbiəm or columbium (/kəˈlʌmbiəm/ is a Chemical element that has the symbol Nb and Atomic number 41 Elon Musk reported that the bump did not appear to have caused damage, and that the reason why they chose a niobium skirt instead of carbon-carbon was to prevent problematic damage in the event of such incidents. Reinforced Carbon-Carbon ( carbon-carbon or RCC) is a Composite material consisting of Carbon fiber reinforcement in a matrix of Graphite Shortly after second stage ignition, a stabilization ring detached from the engine bell as designed. ^[14] At around T+4:20, a circular coning oscillation began that increased in amplitude until video was lost. At T+5:01, the vehicle started to roll and telemetry ended. According to Elon Musk, the second stage engine shut down at T+7. Elon Musk (born 28 June 1971) is an Entrepreneur and a co-founder of PayPal and SpaceX. 5 minutes due to a roll control issue. Sloshing of propellant in the LOX tank increased oscillation. This oscillation would normally have been dampened by the Thrust Vector Control system in the second stage, but the bump to the second nozzle during separation caused an overcompensation in the correction. ^[15] The rocket continued to within one minute of its desired location, and also managed to deploy the satellite mass simulator ring. While the webcast video ended prematurely, SpaceX was able to retrieve telemetry for the entire flight. ^[16] The status of the first stage is unknown; it was not recovered due to problems with a nonfunctioning GPS tracking device. The rocket reached a final altitude of 289 km (156 miles) and a final velocity of 5. 1 km/s, compared to 7. 5 km/s needed for orbit.

SpaceX reaction and proposed remedy of problems

SpaceX characterized the test flight as a success, having flight proven over 95% of Falcon 1's systems. Technology Readiness Level (TRL is a measure used by some United States government agencies and many of the world's major companies (and agencies to assess the maturity Their primary objectives for this launch were to test responsive launch procedures and gather data. ^[8] According to Musk, the SpaceX team intends to have both a diagnosis and solution vetted by third party experts. Musk believes the slosh issue can be corrected by adding baffles to the second stage LOX tank and adjusting the control logic. Furthermore, the Merlin shutdown transient can be addressed by initiating shutdown at a much lower thrust level, albeit at some risk to engine reusability. The SpaceX team intends to work the problem to avoid a recurrence as they change over into the operational phase for Falcon 1. ^[1]

Further missions

The third flight will also be from Omelek. It was to have carried TacSat-1 for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), but NRL canceled the launch of the satellite after the success of the already-launched TacSat-2. TacSat-1 is an experimental Satellite built by the Naval Research Laboratory on behalf of the United States Department of Defense (DOD Office The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a TacSat-2 (also known as JWS-D1 or RoadRunner) is an experimental Satellite built by the USAF 's Air Force Research Laboratory ^[17] This will be the first "operational" flight of Falcon 1. This mission was originally scheduled for 2005, from Vandenberg AFB, but delays due to the Titan IV launch, and problems with the rocket pushed it into mid-2006. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The Titan IV family (including the IVA and IVB of Space boosters were used by the U It was then delayed further, as the failure of the maiden flight necessitated a second test mission. It is currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2008. ^[9] This flight is also scheduled to carry a space burial payload including cremated remains of James Doohan, Gordon Cooper, and others. Space burial is a Burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of Lipstick James Montgomery Doohan ( March 3, 1920 &ndash July 20, 2005) was a Canadian character and voice Actor Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr, also noted as Gordo Cooper, ( 6 March 1927 – 4 October 2004) was an American Astronaut ^[18]

On May 29, 2008 SpaceDev announced its Trailblazer spacecraft bus had been selected by the United States Department of Defense as the primary payload to fly on its Jumpstart mission. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common SpaceDev is a publicly traded space development company in the Aerospace industry now most prominent for its Spaceflight and Microsatellite work The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government The Jumpstart payload will be carried by the third Falcon 1 flight. ^[19] That flight is currently scheduled for launch from Kwajalein in "late June or July" of 2008. ^[20]

Private funding

The Falcon 1 rocket is a largely privately funded and developed orbital launch vehicle. The only other orbital launch vehicle, that has been claimed to be privately funded and developed is the Pegasus (rocket) first launched in 1990. Orbital Sciences, the manufacturer and operator of the Pegasus claims that it is the first privately developed rocket able to reach orbit. ^[21] Other sources have claimed that the Falcon 1 is the first privately funded orbital space vehicle that would be capable of reaching orbit. ^[22]

While the development of Falcon 1 was privately funded, both Falcon 1 test launches have been paid for by the U. S. Department of Defense under a program that evaluates new US launch vehicles suitable for use by DARPA. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new Technology ^[23]

Pricing

SpaceX is one of the few launch system operators that communicate launch prices to the public. Falcon 1 has been advertised as costing $5. 9 million as early as 2005. ^[24] In 2006 until 2007 the quoted price of the rocket when operational was $6. 7 million. ^[25] Most recently SpaceX has announced new prices for the Falcon 1 and an enhanced Falcon 1e, which should go operational in 2009. The price for Falcon 1 is now set at $7 million and the price for Falcon 1e at $8. 5 million. ^[2] SpaceX notes that small discounts may be available for multi-launch contracts.

Launch sites

The Falcon 1 can be launched from five different sites, with the first two flights lifting off from Kwajalein. Kwajalein Atoll ( Marshallese: Kuwajleen; kʷuwːɔ͡ɛt̪ʲl̪ʲɪn̪ʲ common English pronunciation ˈkwɑːʤəlɨ̞n often nicknamed Kwaj

• Vandenberg Air Force Base, Pad 3W

Elon Musk has reportedly said the Air Force may evict SpaceX from its Vandenberg launch site because of safety concerns expressed by United Launch Alliance, which launches the Atlas V rocket from a neighboring launch site at SLC-3W. Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States military installation with a Spaceport, in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The Atlas V Rocket is an Expendable launch vehicle formerly built by Lockheed Martin and now built by the Lockheed Martin- Boeing joint venture Vandenberg Air Force Base 's Space Launch Complex 3 (SLC-3 was a launch platform for the Atlas rocket system ^[26]

• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 ( LC-40) was a launch pad at Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Florida ^[27]
• Kwajalein Atoll (Omelek Island), part of the Reagan Test Site
• Kodiak Island
• Wallops Island

Notes

External links

• SpaceX Falcon 1 details page
• Space Services Inc. space burial page
• Maiden launch details at SpaceFlightNow
• "SpaceX rocket fails first flight", BBC News, 24 March 2006. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.  
• Damage puts first SpaceX rocket launch on hold, Spaceflight Now, 19 December 2005
• Video telemetry from Flight #1 at YouTube
• Video telemetry from Flight #2 at YouTube

Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees

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