The Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle Demo 2 Flight Results Summary, Launch Manifest, and Evolution Plan
- Paper number
IAC-07-D2.1.09
- Author
Mr. Brian Bjelde, SpaceX, United States
- Coauthor
Mrs. Gwynne Shotwell, Space Exploration Technologies, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Max Vozoff, Space Exploration Technologies, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Lauren Fincher, Space Exploration Technologies, United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Falcon 1, the entry vehicle in the Space Exploration Technologies launch vehicle family, is designed to provide the world’s lowest cost access to orbit. The vehicle is designed above all for high reliability, followed by low cost and a benign flight environment. It is a two-stage, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle capable of placing an 800 kg satellite into a 200km circular orbit, inclined 9.1 degrees. Falcon 1 combines a re-usable, turbo-pump fed first stage powered by a single SpaceX Merlin engine with a pressure fed second stage powered by our Kestrel engine and capable of multiple re-starts. SpaceX has conducted two demonstration flights each sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). On March 24th, 2006, the maiden demonstration launch of Falcon 1 took flight from the SpaceX Omelek Island launch facility in the Kwajalein Atoll. Though orbit was not achieved, the mission was a partial success with many important demonstration objectives being met. These objectives include the successful completion of launch vehicle and payload processing, launch countdown execution, liftoff and controlled powered flight, dynamic environments measurement, and more. A government team was formed to investigate the launch mishap and has officially cleared the Falcon 1 vehicle for return to flight status. The second demonstration flight of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle is set for the first quarter of 2007 and the results of this flight will be described herein. Following the demonstration launches, the first operational launch of Falcon 1 carrying a US Government Satellite, TacSat-1, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2007, followed in the fourth quarter of 2007 by the launch of satellite for ATSB of Malaysia which will include a handful of secondary cubesats and a nanosatellite. Consistent with SpaceX’s corporate philosophy of rapid and continuous improvement, Falcon 1 has a planned evolution path which will include significant upgrades based upon experience from the demonstration missions and our design work on its sister vehicle, the Falcon 9. The upgrades center on further increasing reliability and payload performance to orbit and will be implemented in a traditional block upgrade sequence.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-D2.1.09.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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