Updates: August 2008 - December 2008
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
Falcon 9 is now fully integrated at the Cape! Today we mated the 5.2 m payload fairing to the Falcon 9 first stage (see below). This was the final step in the integration process—one day ahead of schedule.
With Falcon 9 integrated, our focus shifts to the big launch mount and erector. All the pieces have been delivered, and the coming days will see a tremendous amount of welding to join them all together.
The long hours put in by the SpaceX team over the last several weeks, particularly the folks on the ground at the Cape, are certainly paying off. Once the launch mount and erector are complete, we'll transfer Falcon 9 on to the erector and raise it to vertical early in 2009. Happy New Year!
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Monday, December 29th, 2008
The integration of Falcon 9 continued steadily through the long Christmas holiday, and the images below show just how close Falcon 9 is to being completely integrated. Whether measured by weight or by cost, the majority of the Falcon 9 being assembled is actual flight hardware. If there are no unexpected delays, its possible Falcon 9 will be integrated before December 31st — certainly a great way to start off the New Year.
View of Falcon 9 nearing completion, with the Banana River in the distance.
Side view of the entire assembly (from left) engines, skirt, first stage tank, interstage, second stage and 5.2 meter payload fairing.
Erector arm pieces coming together, with the large steel launch mount below, as yet unpainted.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
Big news today was SpaceX winning the NASA CRS contract for an initial $1.6 billion, representing 12 flights to the International Space Station starting in 2010. The team here worked extremely hard to make this happen and we couldn't be more excited about not only our future, but the future of commercial spaceflight in the US and the impact this will have on our long-term efforts towards human space exploration.
Today was also a day of great progress at the Cape. The second stage arrived via flat bed truck (see below), along with both halves of the Falcon 9 fairing. In addition, our Falcon 9 engine assembly arrived as scheduled from Texas yesterday. Most major structures are now on site and being prepped for integration by December 31st.
Falcon 9 second stage (left) and the two 5.2 meter diameter fairing halves (right) arriving at the Cape
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
Yesterday we lifted the first stage off the shipping truck and lowered it onto the integration assemblies (shown below). With all of the F9 hardware currently at or on its way to the Cape, we are on track for a fully integrated launch vehicle by year's end.
Barring any unforeseen delays, the second stage and fairing are expected to arrive at the Cape by December 28th and will be mated on December 31st, just in time for the New Year.
The erector is also on track towards operational status in early January, with the base assembly to be aligned and tacked by December 26th and welding to be complete early in the New Year. Hold down assemblies are expected to arrive shortly after the New Year and with our ground control system at SLC-40 currently operational, it's just a matter of days before F9 is vertical at the Cape.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
Scheduled to arrive Monday at the Cape, the Falcon 9 engine assembly is shown below (minus the heat shield panels) as it was being prepped in Texas last week. Prior to shipping, the assembly was covered with a protective tarp and tie downs to protect it on the journey.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Friday, December 19th, 2008
A portion of the giant launch mount arrives and is moved into place by crane. Barring unforeseen road delays, all parts for the rocket and mount should arrive by the New Year.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Just a great shot of the first stage tank at sunset, on the pad at SLC-40.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
Today we applied the large SpaceX logo to the side of the first stage flight tank. In the background, you can see the four lightning towers, positioned around the launch mount area, which will provide protection from Florida's frequent lightning storms.
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
The Falcon 9 first stage flight propellant tank arrived Tuesday night at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after its cross-country journey from Los Angeles. The tank measures 87 feet long and 12 feet in diameter — approximately the size of a 737 fuselage. As of December 16th, all Falcon 9 sections and ground support hardware had left Hawthorne and were on their way to the Cape.
Falcon 9 first stage flight propellant tank arriving at the Cape Tuesday night
Daytime view of Falcon 9 first stage flight propellant tank at the Cape
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Monday, December 15th, 2008
The combined interstage / Merlin Vacuum engine / second stage structure is wrapped and ready for the road. Though only half as long as the Falcon 9 first stage tank, this assembly has the same 12 foot diameter plus the width of the blue cradles, and so must travel as an oversized load. By tomorrow, all Falcon 9 sections and ground support hardware will have left Hawthorne headed for the Cape.
Combined interstage / Merlin Vacuum engine / second stage structure is wrapped and ready for the road
Separated and shrink wrapped for travel, the two halves of the 5.2 meter diameter (17 foot) fairing take to the highway as oversized loads on a pair of flatbed trucks. Even though they're designed to move at many times the speed of sound and reach the vacuum of space, the wrapping helps keep them clean and safe during their 2,600 mile trip along the Earth's surface.
One half of the F9 5.2m fairing, shrink wrapped for travel
The last of the assemblies leaves the Hawthorne headquarters on a rainy day in Los Angeles. In total, we have twelve trucks heading to the Cape with the rocket and supporting parts. All of the oversized loads in the shipment must follow a “daytime only” driving plan, which should get them to the Cape in about a week and a half.
Last load leaving Hawthorne for the Cape
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
Over the weekend, we sandblasted, primed and painted the steel portion of the giant “strongback”, then strapped it to a truck for the ride to Florida. This structure forms the base of the strongback that raises the Falcon 9 to vertical on the pad.
Steel portion of the strongback
Attached to the second stage, but not visible here, the Merlin Vacuum engine rests within the carbon composite interstage (shown below connected to the shorter second stage). In actual flight, the Merlin Vacuum will have a large expansion nozzle that will nearly fill the interior of the interstage. However, the nozzle will not be used during this first standup at the Cape.
F9 second stage and carbon composite interstage
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Friday, December 12th, 2008
The picture below shows us test fitting the Falcon 9 second stage tank assembly onto the big 5.2 meter diameter fairing. The F9 second stage is simply a shorter version of the first stage, and uses most of the same tooling, material and manufacturing techniques. The Merlin Vacuum engine assembly will attach to the round opening on the dome. The Merlin Vacuum engine is similar to the Merlin 1C engine used in the first stage, but has a larger vacuum nozzle for efficiency.
Test fitting the Falcon 9 second stage tank assembly onto the big 5.2 meter diameter fairing
The silver “fittings” at the top of the carbon composite interstage (shown below) attach to the second stage and fit into the nine release system brackets, equally spaced around the top edge. Three long pusher assemblies will be installed into the long slots, also equally spaced around the top edge. After the first stage engines shut down, the pushers impart an all-important impulse to separate the stages before the second stage engine ignites.
F9 interstage with fittings and release system brackets
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
Below you can see the F9 erector just before the aluminum section (in white) was loaded on a flat bed truck headed for the Cape. The erector is built in sections for weight and cost optimization—the main sections pin together for easy setup and break down (if necessary).
The aluminum section is 74 ft long, weighing 8,000 pounds, and the steel section is 53ft long, weighing 35,000 pounds. The steel section will be painted on Friday; our team of welders worked 24 hours a day for almost 6 weeks straight to complete the steel section.
Aluminum section of the erector leaving SpaceX for the Cape
Aluminum and steel sections of the erector on the SpaceX manufacturing floor
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Below is a recent pic of us joining the barrel sections of the F9 second stage using the circumferential friction stir welding (FSW) machine shown below. The FSW joins metal without flames, sparking, inert gasses, or fumes, and produces a far superior weld in aluminum-lithium alloys as compared to traditional methods.
Also received the two side pieces of the launch mount today (shown below). Each piece measures roughly 14 feet long by 7 feet high.
Circumferential friction stir welding machine (FSW)
Side pieces of the launch mount, each roughly 14ft long by 7ft high
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Monday, December 8th, 2008
Welders at work on a portion of the giant launch mount. Fabricated completely in-house, this structure will help support the Falcon 9 on the launch pad at Complex 40.
Falcon 9 Launch Mount
Technicians move a tank dome onto the circumferential stir welding system to begin assembly of the Falcon 9 second stage tank. Constructed in the same manner as the first stage, and using similar domes and barrel sections, the second stage tank measures about 17 feet long, compared to the 87 foot length of first stage tank.
Falcon 9 second stage dome
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Friday, December 5th, 2008
The third variant of our Merlin engine, the Merlin Vacuum, powers the Falcon 9 second stage to orbit. The base of the regeneratively cooled combustion chamber and exhaust nozzle, shown here, attaches to an even larger expansion nozzle for maximizing performance in the vacuum of space. We will ship this flight hardware out to the Cape for integration onto the Falcon 9 second stage.
Merlin Vacuum Engine
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Following our successful nine-engine firing, we were scheduled to begin disassembling the engine on Wednesday, December 3rd around 5 a.m. CST, but high winds prevented our team from climbing the vertical test stand (over 100ft tall) to begin the project. However, the winds calmed down on Thursday and we removed both the tank and engine assembly (shown below).
The thrust structure with nine Merlin engines descend by crane from the big vertical test stand. (The engine exhaust nozzles were removed and brought down separately.) These nine Merlin engines performed the recent mission-duration firing that lasted nearly three minutes, and we're now sending the entire assembly to the Cape for integration onto the Falcon 9 first stage flight tank hardware.
Thrust structure with nine Merlin engines
This afternoon, we rotated the first half of the F9 payload fairing in order to bring in the second fairing half and mate it to the first. At a diameter of 5.2m, the F9 payload fairing is capable of housing large payloads for delivery to both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). Once joined, we will test-fit the complete fairing to the second stage and then both structures will head to the Cape.
Before: F9 payload fairing first half prepped for rotation
After: F9 payload fairing first half after rotation
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
At 87 feet long, the first stage tank will travel by flatbed truck on Thursday to arrive at the Cape in mid-December. In preparation for the trip, we wrapped the F9 1st stage tank with a custom fit tarp to protect it on the road. Once it arrives at the Cape, we will integrate the 1st stage tank with the engine assembly, which includes the F9 skirt, truss, prop lines and engines.
F9 1st stage tank being wrapped in preparation for shipment to the Cape
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
Today we used our overhead cranes to load the F9 first stage tank onto the shipping cradles. Nine SpaceX Merlin engines power the Falcon 9 first stage, with 95,000 lbs-f sea level thrust per engine for a total thrust on liftoff of 855,000 lbs-f.
F9 1st stage tank being loaded onto the shipping structure
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Monday, December 1st, 2008
Despite the holiday, there were people working around the clock over the weekend. Our F9 1st stage skirt (shown below) is being shipped to Texas tonight.
F9 skirt loaded onto truck to Texas
F9 skirt being wrapped for travel
Falcon 9 Progress Update
November 29th, 2008 - Thanksgiving Weekend
The F9 skirt shown below is one of many structures being prepped for shipping over the weekend. We also had the second half of the F9 payload fairing arrive on Wednesday. We'll spend most of the weekend prepping the F9 structures and finalizing shipping plans for getting them to Texas and the Cape.
Falcon 9 skirt being prepped for shipping on Monday
Falcon 9 Progress Update
November 25th, 2008
This morning we fitted the interstage to the F9 first stage tanks, ensuring there was good fit before the 1st stage tanks depart for the Cape. The interstage is made of a carbon fiber aluminum honeycomb structure and mates the first stage to the second stage. The interstage will finish assembly and be attached to the second stage before shipping to the Cape.
Interstage being fitted to the Falcon 9 first stage
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Posted Monday, November 24th, 2008
Today we fitted the F9 skirt to the fuel tank end of the 1st stage. Also had movement on the erector, with the upper aluminum truss just coming back from being painted. Activity on the floor is constant and will remain so throughout the week and weekend as we prepare the F9 structures for shipping to Texas for testing before they head to the Cape.
Falcon 9 skirt mated with fuel tank end of the 1st stage
Lower steel truss of the erector for taking the F9 vertical at the Cape
Upper aluminum truss of the erector
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Posted Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
On Saturday night, at about 10:30pm CST, we successfully conducted a full mission duration test firing of the Falcon 9 rocket first stage, lasting 178 seconds (nearly three minutes)! At full power, the rocket generated 855,000 pounds of thrust at sea level. In vacuum, the thrust increases to approximately one million pounds or four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. The nine Merlin engines consumed over half a million pounds of liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene during the test. Click the photo below to check out the video:
(Click picture to play video)
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Posted Friday, November 21st, 2008
The monster green of the original primer has been replaced by a clean glossy white. In the next couple days, we'll prep and test fit the F9 skirt with the fuel tank and the interstage to the liquid oxygen (LOX) end of the 1st stage shown below.
Falcon 9 flight 1st stage tanks and skirt painted, preparing for test fitting of skirt
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Posted Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
Our newly delivered 5.2m faring half--from tip to end, the fairing measures approximately 13.9 meters or 45.5 feet.
The F9 Payload Fairing half as it arrived on the shipping stand
Unloading the fairing half from the shipping stand
Falcon 9 Progress Update
Posted Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
Today, the payload fairing half for our first Falcon 9 arrived at the SpaceX headquarters via a flatbed truck. Tomorrow we'll remove it from the shipping structure so we can continue fit checking and preparing to ship to Cape Canaveral.
The first Falcon 9 payload fairing half arrives at SpaceX on a flatbed truck
Flight 4 Launch Update
Posted October 7, 2008
A week spent reviewing data has confirmed that the flight went really well, including the coast and restart. The mood here at SpaceX is just ecstatic! This is the culmination of six years of hard work by a very talented team. It is also a great relief for me, who led the overall design of the rocket (not a role I expected to have when starting the company). I felt a little sheepish receiving the AIAA award for the most outstanding contribution to the field of space transportation two weeks before this flight.
Orbit was achieved with the first burn terminating at 330.5 km altitude and 8.99 degree inclination. The goal for initial insertion was a 330 km altitude and a 9.0 degree inclination, so this was right on target! Accuracy far exceeded our expectations, particularly given that this was the first time Falcon 1 reached orbit.
The primary purpose of the second burn was to test the restart capability and then burn as long as possible. The upper stage coasted for 43.5 minutes and then burned for 6.8 seconds, which is 4 seconds longer than needed to circularize. Most of the burn was actually done sideways to avoid creating a highly elliptical orbit, hence a change in inclination to 9.3 degrees. The final orbit, confirmed by US Space Command, was 621 km by 643 km.
As an added bonus, we picked up several minutes of video and data from the upper stage when it passed over Kwajalein one orbit later, which showed the stage to be in good condition. You will see some eerie footage of the upper stage drifting in zero g at the end of the video clip below.
Photo caption: After one complete orbit, the SpaceX Falcon 1 Flight 4 vehicle passes over its launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll, and returns a view of the Earth.
While Falcon 1 was the world's first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit, I would like to acknowledge and express appreciation for the role of DARPA, the Air Force, the ORS Office of the Department of Defense and ATSB and the Malaysian government. They played an important role as early "beta" customers of Falcon 1. There are many individuals in those organizations, as well as in NASA, NRL, FAA, USAKA/RTS, other departments of the US government and the private sector to whom we owe gratitude for their support and advice. You didn't have to help, but you did, often at risk of career and credibility, so you have my deepest thanks.
The next flight of Falcon 1 is tentatively scheduled for March next year and will carry a Malaysian primary satellite, as well as US government secondary satellites, to near equatorial orbit. Flight 6 will probably be a Defense Department satellite in the summer and Flight 7 a commercial satellite mission in the fall. In 2010, I expect the launch cadence for Falcon 1 to step up to a mission every two to three months.
Below is a highlight reel of the Falcon 1 flight, including the restart and video footage from the upper stage when it does its first orbit back over Kwajalein. Some of this has not been shown before, so there is something new even if you watched the live webcast.
--Elon--
Photo caption: Liftoff of Falcon 1, Flight 4 from the Kwajalein Atoll on September 28, 2008 (UTC).
Click above image to view the highlight reel in the SpaceX Video Gallery.
Flight 4 Launch Update
Posted September 28, 2008
Post Launch Statement
Wow, this is a great day for SpaceX and the culmination of an enormous amount of work by a great team. The data shows we achieved a super precise orbit insertion — middle of the bullseye — and then went on to coast and restart the second stage, which was icing on the cake.
I will have a more complete post launch statement tomorrow, as right now I'm in a bit of a daze and need to go celebrate :)
--Elon--
A. Launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 4 vehicle from Omelek Island, in the Kwajalein Atoll, 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Liftoff occurred Sunday 28 September 2008, at 4:15 PM (PDT), 23:15 (UTC).
B. The critical stage separation sequence began about 2 minutes and 37 seconds into flight with shutdown of the Merlin first stage engine, then separation of the first and second stages, followed by ignition of the Kestrel second stage engine.
C. A few seconds after second stage ignition, the fairing (nose cone) that covers the payload section separates from the vehicle and falls to Earth.
D. About nine and a half minutes after launch, the second stage engine shuts down, and the Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth.
Flight 4 Launch Update
Posted September 27, 2008
Flight 4 of Falcon 1
Falcon 1 is currently cleared for liftoff sometime between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. (California time) tomorrow, Sunday September 28th. Of course, if we see anything that requires investigation, the launch will be postponed, but we'll let you know as soon as we know. As with prior flights, you can access the webcast from the SpaceX site: www.spacex.com
--Elon--
Photo caption: Falcon 1 Flight 4 vehicle on the launch pad at Omelek island, Kwajalein Atoll.
Flight 4 Launch Update
Posted September 23, 2008
Flight 4 of Falcon 1
The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].
--Elon--
Flight 4 of Falcon 1
Posted September 19, 2008
Flight 4 of Falcon 1
As mentioned in my update last month, we do expect to conduct a launch countdown in late September — as scheduled.
Having said that, it is still possible that we encounter an issue that needs to be investigated, which would delay launch until the next available window in late October. If preparations go smoothly, we will conduct a static fire on Saturday and launch sometime between Tuesday and Thursday (California time).
The SpaceX team worked hard to make this launch window, but we also took the time to review data from Flight 3 in detail. In addition to us reviewing the data, we had several outside experts check the data and conclusions. No flight critical problems were found apart from the thrust transient issue.
Flight 5 production is well underway with an expected January completion date, Flight 6 parts are on order and Flight 7 production will begin early next year. We are now in steady state production of Falcon 1 at a rate of one vehicle every four months, which we will probably step up to one vehicle every two to three months in 2010.
--Elon--
Expedited delivery — SpaceX purchased a C-17 flight from the USAF to fly the Falcon 1 Flight 4 vehicle from Los Angeles International to the Kwajalein Atoll.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 Flight 4 on the launch pad at Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands (19 Sep 2008).
Falcon 1, Flight 3 Mission Summary
Posted August 6, 2008
Timing is Everything
On August 2nd, Falcon 1 executed a picture perfect first stage flight, ultimately reaching an altitude of 217 km, but encountered a problem just after stage separation that prevented the second stage from reaching orbit. At this point, we are certain as to the origin of the problem. Four methods of analysis – vehicle inertial measurement, chamber pressure, onboard video and a simple physics free body calculation – all give the same answer.
The problem arose due to the longer thrust decay transient of our new Merlin 1C regeneratively cooled engine, as compared to the prior flight that used our old Merlin 1A ablatively cooled engine. Unlike the ablative engine, the regen engine had unburned fuel in the cooling channels and manifold that combined with a small amount of residual oxygen to produce a small thrust that was just enough to overcome the stage separation pusher impulse.
We were aware of and had allowed for a thrust transient, but did not expect it to last that long. As it turned out, a very small increase in the time between commanding main engine shutdown and stage separation would have been enough to save the mission.
The question then is why didn't we catch this issue? Unfortunately, the engine chamber pressure is so low for this transient thrust -- only about 10 psi -- that it barely registered on our ground test stand in Texas where ambient pressure is 14.5 psi. However, in vacuum that 10 psi chamber pressure produced enough thrust to cause the first stage to recontact the second stage.
It looks like we may have flight four on the launch pad as soon as next month. The long gap between flight two and three was mainly due to the Merlin 1C regen engine development, but there are no technology upgrades between flight three and four.
Good Things About This Flight
- Merlin 1C and overall first stage performance was excellent
- The stage separation system worked properly, in that all bolts fired and the pneumatic pushers delivered the correct impulse
- Second stage ignited and achieved nominal chamber pressure
- Fairing separated correctly
- We discovered this transient problem on Falcon 1 rather than Falcon 9
- Rocket stages were integrated, rolled out and launched in seven days
- Neither the near miss potential failures of flight two nor any new ones were present
The only untested portion of flight is whether or not we have solved the main problem of flight two, where the control system coupled with the slosh modes of the liquid oxygen tank. Given the addition of slosh baffles and significant improvements to the control logic, I feel confident that this will not be an issue for the upcoming flight four.
--Elon--
Liftoff of Falcon 1, Flight 3 from the Kwajalein Atoll on August 2, 2008 (CONUS).
Click above image to play streaming video in Windows Media Player.
Plan Going Forward
Posted August 2, 2008
Plan Going Forward
It was obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this flight [Falcon 1, Flight 3]. On the plus side, the flight of our first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine that will be used in Falcon 9, was picture perfect. Unfortunately, a problem occurred with stage separation, causing the stages to be held together. This is under investigation and I will send out a note as soon as we understand exactly what happened.
The most important message I’d like to send right now is that SpaceX will not skip a beat in execution going forward. We have flight four of Falcon 1 almost ready for flight and flight five right behind that. I have also given the go ahead to begin fabrication of flight six. Falcon 9 development will also continue unabated, taking into account the lessons learned with Falcon 1. We have made great progress this past week with the successful nine engine firing.
As a precautionary measure to guard against the possibility of flight 3 not reaching orbit, SpaceX recently accepted a significant investment. Combined with our existing cash reserves, that ensures we will have more than sufficient funding on hand to continue launching Falcon 1 and develop Falcon 9 and Dragon. There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport. For my part, I will never give up and I mean never.
Thanks for your hard work and now on to flight four.
--Elon--
(In a message to Employees, August 2, 2008)