New Delhi: On Monday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying three communication satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida, marking the 700th Falcon mission. Since the launch of the Falcon 1 in March 2006, the SpaceX rocket family has had three iterations – Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy – which have collectively completed 700 missions.
Of these, 685 have been completed by Falcon 9, which is the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket.
The Monday mission was Falcon 9’s 105th launch of the year. It carried three telecommunications satellites for Luxembourg-based satellite company SES for its O3b mPower constellation. The constellation operates in medium Earth orbit (MEO), at an altitude of around 8,000 km.
Falcon 9 booster returns to Earth
Nine minutes after launch, the rocket’s first-stage booster section returned to Earth. As a reusable component, the booster had previously been used on 28 flights and completed its 29th flight with Monday’s mission. It had a soft landing on a SpaceX droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon 9, which was first launched in 2010, is credited with transforming the economics and cadence of space launches because it was partially reusable. A recent paper by economists at the University of Cambridge found that rocket launches are now about 95% cheaper than they were 60 years ago, largely due to SpaceX’s focus on reusability.
“SpaceX believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access,” the company says on its website.
Also Read: Launching a rocket to space now costs 95% less than it did 65 yrs ago—and could get cheaper
From Falcon 1 failures to 700 missions
The 700th Falcon-family mission also traces the rockets’ history back to Falcon 1, which launched in 2006 and failed on its first three attempts. On its fourth launch attempt, in September 2008, Falcon 1 successfully reached orbit.
It completed one more successful mission before SpaceX shifted its focus to the larger Falcon 9.
The rocket became essential for global space missions, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station in 2012, eventually leading to SpaceX becoming a NASA contractor.
Falcon 9 went on to carry ISS crew, Starlink satellites, and multiple commercial satellites for companies across the world, including Indian start-ups like Dhruva Space, Pixxel, and Digantara.
Meanwhile, the Falcon Heavy rocket was launched in 2018 and is composed of the same elements as Falcon 9 but can lift heavier loads — 63,000 kgs to Low Earth Orbit. The Falcon Heavy rocket has had 13 flights until now.
Even as the Falcon family reaches the 700-mission milestone, SpaceX is working on a newer, fully reusable rocket known as Starship.
Starship is a next-generation, fully reusable two-stage launch system designed to eventually take over many missions currently performed by Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. At 123 metres tall, it is also among the largest rockets ever built and will support future Moon and Mars missions.
Edited by Maryam Hassan