Falcon 9 v1.0

File:F9 and Heavy visu.png, three configurations of Falcon 9 v1.2 (Full Thrust), three configurations of Falcon 9 Block 5 and four of Falcon Heavy.]]

The Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage was used on the first five Falcon 9 launches, and powered by nine SpaceX Merlin 1C rocket engines arranged in a 3x3 pattern. Each of these engines had a sea-level thrust of {{convert|556|kN|abbr=in}} for a total thrust on liftoff of about {{convert|5000|kN|abbr=in}}.

The Falcon 9 tank walls and domes were made from aluminum lithium alloy. SpaceX uses an all-friction stir welded tank, the highest strength and most reliable welding technique available.

The Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage used a pyrophoric mixture of triethylaluminum-triethylborane (TEA-TEB) as a first-stage ignitor.{{cite web |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html |title=Mission Status Center |date=June 2, 2010 |author=Stephen Clark |publisher=SpaceflightNow |access-date=9 July 2017 }}

The upper stage was powered by a single Merlin 1C engine modified for vacuum operation, with an expansion ratio of 117:1 and a nominal burn time of 345 seconds. For added reliability of restart, the engine has dual redundant pyrophoric igniters (TEA-TEB). The second stage tank of Falcon 9 is simply a shorter version of the first stage tank and uses most of the same tooling, material and manufacturing techniques. This saves money during vehicle production.

The Falcon 9 v1.0 interstage, which connects the upper and lower stage for Falcon 9, is a carbon fiber aluminum core composite structure. Reusable separation collets and a pneumatic pusher system separate the stages. The stage separation system had twelve attachment points (later reduced to just three in the v1.1 launcher).{{cite web |url=http://spacenews.com/37094musk-says-spacex-being-extremely-paranoid-as-it-readies-for-falcon-9s/ |title=Musk Says SpaceX Being "Extremely Paranoid" as It Readies for Falcon 9's California Debut |date=September 6, 2013 |author=Irene Klotz |publisher=Space News |access-date=9 July 2017 }}

SpaceX uses multiple redundant flight computers in a fault-tolerant design. Each Merlin engine is controlled by three voting computers, each of which has two physical processors that constantly check each other. The software runs on Linux and is written in C++. For flexibility, commercial off-the-shelf parts and system-wide "radiation-tolerant" design are used instead of radiation-hardened parts.{{cite web |url=http://aviationweek.com/blog/dragons-radiation-tolerant-design |title=Dragon's "Radiation-Tolerant" Design |date=November 19, 2012 |author=Amy Svitak |publisher=Aviation Week |access-date=9 July 2017 |archive-date=23 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723012739/http://aviationweek.com/blog/dragons-radiation-tolerant-design |url-status=dead }}

Four Draco thrusters were to be used for at least the second revision of the Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket second-stage as a reaction control system. It is unknown whether Falcon 9 ever flew with these thrusters; the second revision of Falcon 9 v1.0 was replaced with the Falcon 9 v1.1, which used nitrogen cold gas thrusters.{{cite web |url=http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon9.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910173619/http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon9.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 10, 2012 |title=SpaceX Falcon 9 Data Sheet |date=May 1, 2017 |publisher=Space Launch Report |access-date=9 July 2017 }} The thrusters were used to hold a stable attitude for payload separation or, as a non-standard service, were also designed to be used to spin up the stage and payload to a maximum of 5 rotations per minute (RPM),{{cite web|url=http://www.spacex.com/Falcon9UsersGuide_2009.pdf |title=Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide, 2009 |publisher=SpaceX |year=2009 |access-date=2010-02-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429015952/http://www.spacex.com/Falcon9UsersGuide_2009.pdf |archive-date=2011-04-29 }} although none of the five flown missions had a payload requirement for this service.

While SpaceX spent its own money to develop its first launch vehicle, the Falcon 1, the development of the Falcon 9 was accelerated by the purchase of several demonstration flights by NASA. This started with seed money from the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program in 2006.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/453605main_Commercial_Space_Minutes_4_26_2010.pdf |title=Commercial Space Committee of the NASA Advisory Council |date=April 26, 2010 |author=Alan Lindenmoyer |publisher=NASA |access-date=9 July 2017 |archive-date=13 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313043013/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/453605main_Commercial_Space_Minutes_4_26_2010.pdf |url-status=dead }} SpaceX was selected from more than twenty companies that submitted COTS proposals.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11927039/page/2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205005147/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11927039/page/2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |title=Private ventures vie to service space station |date=March 20, 2006 |author=Alan Boyle |publisher=MSNBC |access-date=9 July 2017 }} Without the NASA money, development would have taken longer, Musk said.

The development costs for Falcon 9 v1.0 were approximately {{USD|300 million}}, and NASA verified those costs. If some of the Falcon 1 development costs were included, since F1 development did contribute to Falcon 9 to some extent, then the total might be considered as high as {{USD|390 million}}.{{cite web |title=Commercial Market Assessment for Crew and Cargo Systems |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Section403(b)CommercialMarketAssessmentReportFinal.pdf |publisher=NASA |access-date=9 July 2017 |page=40 |date=April 27, 2011 |archive-date=18 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118001450/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Section403(b)CommercialMarketAssessmentReportFinal.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/usa.php |title=The Facts about SpaceX Costs |publisher=spacex.com |date=May 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328121051/http://www.spacex.com/usa.php |archive-date=2013-03-28 }}

NASA also evaluated Falcon 9 development costs using the NASA‐Air Force Cost Model (NAFCOM)—a traditional cost-plus contract approach for US civilian and military space procurement—at {{USD|$3.6 billion}} based on a NASA environment/culture, or {{USD|$1.6 billion}} using a more commercial approach.{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/586023main_8-3-11_NAFCOM.pdf |title=Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle NAFCOM Cost Estimates |publisher=NASA |date=August 2011 |access-date=9 July 2017 }}

File:SpaceX factory Falcon 9 booster tank.jpg

In December 2010, the SpaceX production line was manufacturing one new Falcon 9 (and Dragon spacecraft) every three months, with a plan to double the production rate to one every six weeks in 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/10443-spacex-ceo-elon-musk-master-private-space-dragons.html |title=Q & A with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Master of Private Space Dragons |date=December 8, 2010 |author=Denise Chow |publisher=Space.com |access-date=9 July 2017 }}

{{main|List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches}}

The v1.0 version of Falcon 9 was launched five times, all successfully carrying a Dragon spacecraft to low-Earth orbit, of which three achieved docking with the International Space Station.

One of those missions deployed its secondary payload in a lower orbit than expected due to an engine failure and safety constraints imposed by the ISS primary mission.

{{main|SpaceX reusable launch system development program}}

File:Falcon 9 v1.0 and v1.1 engine.svg

SpaceX ran a limited set of post-mission booster recovery flight tests on the early Falcon rocket launches, both Falcon 1 and Falcon 9. The initial parachute-based design approach was ultimately unsuccessful, and the company adopted a new propulsive-return design methodology that would utilize the Falcon 9 v1.1 vehicle for orbital recovery testing, but did use a Falcon 9 v1.0 booster tank for low-altitude low-velocity flight testing in 2012–2013.

From early days in the development of the Falcon 9, SpaceX had expressed hopes that both stages would eventually be reusable. The initial SpaceX design for stage reusability included adding lightweight thermal protection system (TPS) capability to the booster stage and utilizing parachute recovery of the separated stage. However, early test results were not successful,{{cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/01/musk-ambition-spacex-aim-for-fully-reusable-falcon-9/ |title=Musk ambition: SpaceX aim for fully reusable Falcon 9 |date=January 12, 2009 |author=Chris Bergin |publisher=NASASpaceFlight |access-date=9 July 2017 }} leading to abandonment of that approach and the initiation of a new design.

In 2011 SpaceX began a formal and funded development program—the SpaceX reusable launch system development program—with the objective of designing reusable first and second stages utilizing propulsive return of the stages to the launch pad. The early program focus, however, is only on return of the first stage.{{cite web |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a7446/elon-musk-on-spacexs-reusable-rocket-plans-6653023/ |title=Elon Musk on SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Plans |date=Feb 7, 2012 |author=Rand Simberg |publisher=Popular Mechanics |access-date=9 July 2017 }}

As an early component of that multi-year program, a Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage tank, {{convert|106|ft|m|order=flip}} long, was used to build and test the Grasshopper prototype test vehicle, which made eight successful low-altitude takeoffs and vertical landings in 2012–2013 before the vehicle was retired.

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