Launches to higher orbits have included the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) probe to the Sun–Earth Lagrange point L 1, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope on a lunar flyby trajectory, the Falcon Heavy test flight which launched Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster into a heliocentric orbit extending beyond the orbit of Mars, and Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) into the minor-planet moon Dimorphos of the double asteroid Didymos. The heaviest payload launched to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was Intelsat 35e with 6,761 kg (14,905 lb). The heaviest payload launched to LEO is a batch of 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites weighing a total of around 17,400 kg (38,400 lb) on 26 January 2023. A total of 36 boosters have flown multiple missions, with a record of 15 missions by the same booster.įalcon 9's typical missions include cargo delivery and crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) with the Dragon and Dragon 2 capsules, launch of communications satellites and Earth observation satellites to geostationary transfer orbits (GTO), and low Earth orbits (LEO), some of them at a polar inclination. Falcon family core boosters have successfully landed 177 times in 188 attempts. This reusability has resulted in significantly reduced launch costs. In December 2015, Falcon 9 became the first rocket to land propulsively after delivering a payload into orbit. 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. Falcon Heavy is a heavy-lift derivative of Falcon 9, combining a strengthened central core with two Falcon 9 first stages as the side boosters. In addition, one rocket and its payload were destroyed on the launch pad during the fueling process before a static fire test was set to occur.ĭesigned and operated by private manufacturer SpaceX, the Falcon 9 rocket family includes the retired versions Falcon 9 v1.0, v1.1, and v1.2 'Full Thrust' Block 1 to 4, along with the currently active Block 5 evolution.

Since June 2010, rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 214 times, with 212 full mission successes, one partial failure and one total loss of the spacecraft. Left to right: Falcon 9 v1.0, v1.1, v1.2 'Full Thrust', Falcon 9 Block 5, Falcon Heavy, and Falcon Heavy Block 5.

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