Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, would have you believe that SpaceX is the way of the future.
However, the company is responsible for one clever product that has gained significant recognition in the space sector. The Falcon 9.
Nearly 15 years after its initial deployment in 2010, the Falcon 9 reusable rocket is still in operation. One of the responsibilities is to send crew and supplies toward the International Space Station (ISS) using Moon landers.
But, there are a few important things to note when it comes to Falcon 9.
Here is everything you need to know.
What does SpaceX’s Falcon 9 do?
Falcon 9 is used to launch payloads – cargo and crew – into space.
It is a two-stage rocket, meaning it splits into two parts during ascent.
The first stage is powered by nine (hence the name) Merlin engines. This stage does the real heavy lifting, getting the second stage and payload off the ground. At around 50 miles above the Earth, the two stages separate.
The second, or upper, stage is powered by a single Merlin engine and carries the payload further out into space.
This is where the Falcon 9 differs from most rockets – and is very cool.
After separation, it performs a flip procedure to right itself, and slowly returns to Earth, landing vertically just as it took off, ready to fly again (after a bit of an MOT).
Two Falcon 9’s share the record for most launches at 19.
The reusable rocket is designed to make space more accessible, and reduce the cost of going into space – but of course, it’s still a lot.
Is Falcon 9 going to the Moon?
Falcon 9 itself will not be going to the Moon, but it has now helped send a lander there.
The Odysseus lunar lander touched down near the Moon’s south pole on Friday last week after being launched by a Falcon 9 a week earlier.
It was the first successful soft landing on the Moon by a private company, and the first for the US since the last of the Apollo missions.
However, Moon missions are a rare beast – if you want to catch a Falcon 9 liftoff, you can see them launching Starlink satellites dozens of times a year.
What makes Falcon 9 special?
The main thing that makes Falcon 9 special is its reusability aspect, where most of the rocket can be used time and time again to help lower the cost of going into space.
Falcon 9 has also had a lot of firsts. It was the first commercial rocket to launch humans into orbit and remains the only such vehicle to do so, and is the only US rocket certified for transporting humans to the ISS.
In 2022, it became the US rocket with the most launches in history, and with the best safety record, having suffered just one flight failure, as well as being the first reusable rocket.
