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Falcon 1

Falcon 1 was SpaceX's first orbital launch vehicle, a two-stage liquid-propellant small launcher flown five times from Omelek Island between 2006 and 2009. Its first stage used a Merlin engine and its second stage used a Kestrel engine. The fourth flight became the first privately developed and privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit, and the fifth and final flight deployed Malaysia's RazakSAT spacecraft.

Falcon 1
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Identity

Aliases
Falcon 1 launch vehicleFalcon-1
Family Name
Falcon 1
Full Name
Falcon 1
Status
retired
Type
rocket

Details

Description
Falcon 1 was SpaceX's first orbital launch vehicle, a two-stage liquid-propellant small launcher flown five times from Omelek Island between 2006 and 2009. Its first stage used a Merlin engine and its second stage used a Kestrel engine. The fourth flight became the first privately developed and privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit, and the fifth and final flight deployed Malaysia's RazakSAT spacecraft.
Dimensions
Diameter M
1.7
Height M
21.3
First Flight Year
2,006
Last Flight Year
2,009
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Nested value
    • Nested value
    Name
    Falcon 1 Flight 3/4
    Notes
    SpaceX Falcon 1 User’s Guide identifies Merlin 1C on the first stage and Kestrel 2 on the second stage for the flight-proven configuration; this named entry is the canonical precision configuration.
  • Entries
    • Nested value
    • Nested value
    Name
    Falcon 1 Flight 1
    Notes
    NASA Space Launch Report identifies Merlin 1A on Falcon 1 Flight 1, while NASA MARS environmental assessment identifies Kestrel as the Falcon 1 second-stage engine. This exact entry records Flight 1 and does not infer the Flight 2 engine designation.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass Kg
27,200
Payload Capacity Kg
Leo
570
Reusability
partially_reusable
Stages Count
2
Strap On Boosters Count
0

Links

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Creation Time
July 14, 2026 at 00:59:49 UTC
Updated Time
August 15, 2026 at 04:57:44 UTC

Other

Search Name
Falcon 1 Falcon 1 launch vehicle Falcon-1