Falcon 9 is a partially reusable two-stage-to-orbit medium lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX in the United States. It is powered by Merlin engines, also developed by SpaceX, burning cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1)
as propellants. Its name is derived from the fictional Star Wars spaceship the Millennium Falcon and the nine Merlin engines of the rocket's first stages. Falcon 9 is partially reusable, with the first stage capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing vertically after separating from the second stage. This feat was achieved for the first time on flight 20 with the v1.2 version in December 2015.
Falcon 9 can lift payloads of up to 22,800 kilograms (50.300 lb) to low earth orbit, 8300 kg ( 18,300 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) when expanded , and 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) to GTO when the first stage is recovered. The heaviest GTO payloads flown have been intelsat 35e with 6,761 kg ( 14,905 lb), and Telstar 19v with 7,075 kg (15,598 lb), although the latter was launched into a lower-energy GTO orbit achieving an apogee well below the geostationary altitude.
In 2008, SpaceX won a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) using the Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule. The first mission under this contract launched on October 8,2012. Currently, falcon 9 has been certified for the National Security Space Launch program and NASA Launch Services Program as ''Category 3'', which can launch the priciest,most important, and most complex NASA missions.
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