Abstract

FALCON 9 believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the privotal breakthrough
needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access. The majority of the launch cost
comes from building the rocket, which flies only once. Compare that that to a commercial
airliner-each new plane costs about the same as falcon 9, but can fly multiple times per
day, and conduct tens of thousands of flights over its lifetime. Following the commercial
model , a rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could reduce the cost of travelling to space
by a hundreadfold. While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, FALCON 9
rockets are designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad or
ocean landing .
The main idea was trying to understand why rockets were so expensive .obviously the
lowest cost you can make anuthing for is the spot value of the material constituents. Must
formed Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, with two staggeringly ambitious
goals: to make spaceflight routine and affordable, and to make humans a multi-planet
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CHAPTER 1
Introduction
1.1 Company Description
SpaceX offers a family of launch vehicles that improves launch reliability and increase
access to space. The company was founded on the philosophy that simplicity, reliability
and cost effectiveness are closely connected. We approach all elements of launch services
with a focus on simplicity to both increase reliability and lower cost. The spaceX
corporate structure is flat and business processes are lean, resulting in fast decision-
making and product delivery. spaceX products are designed to require low-infrastructure
facilities with little overhead, while vehicle design teams are co-located with production
and quanlity assurance staff to tighten the critical feedback loop. The result is highly
reliable and producible launch vehicles with quality embedded throughout the process.
Space ExplorationTechnologies Corp. (doing business as SpaceX) is an American space
craft manufacturer, spacelaunch provider, and satellite in communications corporation
headquartered in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, with
the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. SpaceX
manufactures the Falcon9 and Falcon Heavy launchvehicles, several rocket engines, Cargo
Dragon, crew spacecraft, and Starlink communications satellites.

SpaceX is developing a satellite internet constellation named Starlink to provide

commercial internet service. In January 2020, the Starlink constellation became the largest
satellite constellation ever launched, and as of May 2022 it comprises over 2,400 small
satellites in orbit.[7] The company is also developing Starship, a privately funded, fully
reusable, super heavy-lift launch system for interplanetary and orbital spaceflight. Starship
is intended to become SpaceX's primary orbital vehicle once operational, supplanting the
existing Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon fleet. Starship will have the highest payload
capacity of any orbital rocket ever built on its debut, scheduled for 2022 pending launch
license.

SpaceX's achievements include the first privately funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach
orbit around Earth, the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a
spacecraft, the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space
Station, the first vertical take-off and vertical propulsive landing for an orbital rocket, the
first reuse of an orbital rocket, and the first private company to send astronauts to orbit and

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to the International Space Station. SpaceX has flown and landed the Falcon 9 series of
rockets over one hundred times.

1.2 Space flight

There are two types of spaceflights or space travel that is

1. Commercial travel

2. Spaceflights

Spacefligts (also written space flight) is ballistics flight into or through outer space.
Spaceflight can occur with or without humans on board. Examples of human spacecraft
include the U .S . Apollo Moon landing and space shuttle programs and the Ressian Soyuz
program, as well as the ongoing International Space station. Examples of unmanned
spaceflight include space probes that leave Earth orbit, as well as satellites in orbit around
Earth, such as communications satellites. These operate either bytelerobotic control or
fully autonomous. A spaceflight typically begins with a rocket launch, which provides the
initial thrust to overcome the force of gravity and propels the spacecraft-both when
unpropelled and when under propulsion is covered by the area of study called
astrodynamics. Some spacecraft remain in space indefinitely, some disintegrate during
atmospheric re-entry, and others reach a planetary or lunar surface for landing or impact

1.3 launch vehicle

In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket used to carry a payload from Earth’s
surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad, and
other infrastructure. Allthrough a carrier rocket’s payload is often an artificial satellite
placed into orbits,some spaceflights, such as sounding rockets, are sub-orbital, while
others enable spacecraft to escape Earth orbit entirely. Earth launch vehicles typically have
at least two stages , and sometimes as many as four pr more.

1.3.1 Types of launch vehicles

Expendable are designed for one-time use. They usually separate from their payload and
distintegrate during atmospheric reentry. In contrast, reusable launch vehicles are designed
to be recovered intact and launched again, the space shuttle was the only launch vehicle
with components used for multiple orbital spaceflights. But nowadays SpaceX is

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developing a reusable rocket launching system for their Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy launch
vehicles .

1.4 Facts about Launch Vehicle

About 1,100 active satellite, both government and private. Plus there are about 2,600 ones
that no longer work. Launched the first satellite, sputnik 1, in 1957. The oldest one still in
orbit, which is no longer functioning, was launced in 1958.

1.4.1 ISRO
ISRO is the Indian Space Agency run by the Indian government. Launch vehicles of india
are SLV, PSLV, GSTV. Total of 81 satellites launched till date form ISRO made, were 46
Satellite are launched form the ISRO made Launch Vehicle as above mentioned. After the
Launch of falcon 9R a special team is being made to built our own reusable launch vehicle
by 2020.

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CHAPTER 2

FALCON FAMILY
2.1 Falcon program overview
Drawing on a history of prior launch vehicle and engine programs, SpaceX privately
developed the Falcon family of launch vehicles. Component developments include first-
and second-stage engines, cryogenic tank structures, avionics, guidance and control
software, and ground support equipment.
With the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer a full
spectrum of medium- and heavy-lift launch capabilities to its customers (Figure 1-1), as
well as small and micro satellite launch capabilities via its Rideshare Program. SpaceX
currently operates Falcon launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
(CCSFS), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) and
can deliver payloads to a wide range of inclinations and altitudes, from low Earth orbit
(LEO) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to escape trajectories for interplanetary
missions.

Figure 2.1 : SpaceX vehicles are designed for high cross-platform commonly
( source SpaceX)

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Figure 2.2 : Falcon launch vehicle Family (source:spaceX)

The Falcon family has conducted successful flights to the International Space Station
(ISS), LEO, highly elliptical orbit (HEO), GTO, and Earth-escape trajectories. As of the
end of 2020, SpaceX has completed over 100 Falcon launches, making it the most flown
U.S. launch vehicle currently in operation. Reusability is an integral part of the Falcon
program. SpaceX pioneered reusability with the first re-flight of an orbital class rocket in
2017. As of August 2021, SpaceX has re-flown rockets more than 65 times, with a 100%
success rate. Since 2018, SpaceX had more missions launching with a flight-proven rocket
than a first flight rocket. SpaceX also started re-flying fairings in late 2019, and as of the
end of 2020 has re-flown more than 40 fairing halves with a 100% success rate. By re-
flying boosters and fairings, SpaceX increases reliability and improves its designs and
procedures by servicing and inspecting hardware as well as incorporating lessons that can
only be learned from flight.

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CHAPTER 3
FALCON 9 REUSEABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE
DESCRIPTION
3.1 Falcon 9R vehicle overview
Falcon 9 is a two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade
kerosene (RP-1). The vehicle is designed, built and operated by SpaceX. Falcon 9 can be
flown with a fairing or with a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. All first- and second-stage
vehicle systems are the same in the two configurations; only the payload interface to the
second stage changes between the fairing and Dragon configurations. Falcon 9 was
updated in the summer of 2015 to a Full Thrust configuration from its previous v1.1
configuration (flown from 2013 – summer 2015). Falcon 9 underwent further updates and
first flew its Full Thrust Block 5 configuration in spring 2018. The Falcon 9 Block 5
architecture focused on improving performance, reliability, and life of the vehicle, as well
as ensuring the vehicle’s ability to meet critical government crewed and non-crewed
mission requirements. Engine performance on both stages was improved, releasing
additional thrust capability. Thermal protection shielding was modified to support rapid
recovery and refurbishment. Avionics designs, thrust structures, and other components
were upgraded for commonality, reliability, and performance.

3.2 Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle specifications

Falcon 9 is a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) medium-lift launch vehicle (MLV) that is

designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Unlike most rockets in service, which
are expendable launch systems, 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 in December 2015. Since then,
SpaceX has successfully landed boosters over a hundred times,[16] with individual first
stages flying as many as thirteen times.[17]

Both the first and second stages are powered by SpaceX Merlin engines, using
cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.[18][19] The rocket
evolved with versions v1.0 (2010–2013), v1.1 (2013–2016), v1.2 Full Thrust (2015–
present), including the Block 5 Full Thrust variant, flying since May 2018.

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Falcon 9 can lift payloads of up to 22,800 kilograms (50,300 lb) to low Earth orbit (LEO),
8,300 kg (18,300 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) when expended, and 5,500 kg
(12,100 lb) to GTO when the first stage is recovered, in a cargo shroud offering 145 cubic
meters of volume. 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). The latter was launched into a
lower-energy GTO achieving an apogee well below the geostationary altitude, while the
former was launched into an advantageous super-synchronous transfer orbit. In late 2021,
a Falcon 9 was used to launch the IXPE probe into equatorial orbit from KSC with a post-
launch orbital plane change maneuver.

As of January 2021, Falcon 9 has the most launches among all U.S. rockets currently in
operation and is the only U.S. rocket fully certified for transporting humans to the
International Space Station, and the only commercial rocket to launch humans to orbit.] On
24 January 2021, Falcon 9 set a record for the most satellites launched by a single rocket
carrying 143 satellites into orbit.

TYPE FALCON 9 V1.1

REUSABLE VERSION F9R

HEIGHT 68.4m

DIAMETER 3.66m

LAUNCH MASS >505.846KG(F9R)

STAGES 2

BOOSTERS NONE

LAUNCH COST $61.2 M

MASS TO LEO 13,150KG

MASS TO GTO 4,850KG

Figure 3.1: Falcon 9R Technical Deatails (source:spaceX)

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3.3 Falcon first stage

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 556 kN (125,000 pounds-force) for a total thrust on liftoff of
about 5,000 kN (1,100,000 pounds-force).

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.

A Falcon 9 first-stage booster is a reusable rocket booster used on the Falcon 9 and Falcon
Heavy orbital launch vehicles manufactured by SpaceX. The manufacture of first-stage
booster constitutes about 60% of the launch price of a single expended Falcon 9 (and three
of them over 80% of the launch price of an expended Falcon Heavy), which led SpaceX to
develop a program dedicated to recovery and reuse of these boosters for a significant
decrease in launch costs. After multiple attempts, some as early as 2010, at controlling the
reentry of the first stage after its separation from the second stage, the first successful
controlled landing of a first stage occurred on 22 December 2015, on the first flight of
the Full Thrust version. Since then, Falcon 9 first-stage boosters have been landed and
recovered 126 times out of 137 attempts, including synchronized recoveries of the side-
boosters of the Falcon Heavy test flight, Arabsat-6A, and STP-2 missions. One out of
three Falcon Heavy center boosters landed softly but it was severely damaged during
transport.

In total 30 recovered boosters have been refurbished and subsequently flown at least a
second time, the leading four boosters have flown 10 to 13 missions. SpaceX intentionally
limited Block 3 and Block 4 boosters to flying only two missions each,[1][2] but the
company indicated in 2018 that they expected the Block 5 versions to achieve ten flights,
each with only minor refurbishment.[3]

All boosters in Block 4 and earlier have been retired, expended, or lost. The last flight of a
Block 4 booster was in June 2018. Since then all boosters in the active fleet are Block 5.

Booster names are a B followed by a four-digit number. The first Falcon 9 version, v1.0,
had boosters B0001 to B0007. All following boosters were numbered sequentially starting
at B1001.

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Figure 3.2 :Falcon 9R Interior Design (source : spaceX)

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First stage reuse

As of 6 August 2018, SpaceX had recovered 21 first-stage boosters from previous
missions, of which six were recovered twice, yielding a total 27 landings. In 2017, SpaceX
flew a total of 5 missions out of 20 with re-used boosters (25%). In total, 14 boosters have
been re-flown as of August 2018. On July 28, 2016, the first stage from the JCSAT-2B
mission was successfully test-fired for a full duration at the SpaceX McGregor facility.
[127] The first reuse attempt occurred on 30 March 2017[128] with the launch of SES-10,
[129] resulting in a successful flight and second landing of the B1021 first stage recovered
from the CRS-8 mission of April 2016.[130] Another reflight succeeded in June 2017 with
BulgariaSat-1 riding the B1029 booster from the January 2017 Iridium NEXT
mission.[131] Booster B1031 flew the CRS-10 mission to the ISS in February 2017 and
helped loft communications satellite SES-11 to geostationary orbit in October 2017.
Boosters B1035 and B1036 were flown twice each for the same Routine procedure First-
stage reuse customer, B1035 for NASA missions CRS-11 and CRS-13 in June and
December 2017, and B1036 for two batches of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, also in June
and December 2017. B1032 was re-used for GovSat-1 in January 2018 after NROL-76 in
May 2017. SpaceX spent four months refurbishing the first booster to be re-used, B1021,
and launched it again after approximately one year. [132] The second booster to be flown
again, B1029, was refurbished in "only a couple of months" [3] and re-launched after five
months. [131] Elon Musk has stated a goal to turn around a first stage within 24 hours.
[133] Musk remains convinced that this long-term goal can be met by SpaceX rocket
technology, [134] but has not stated that the goal would be achieved with the Falcon 9
design. Boosters B1019 and B1021 were retired and put on display. B1029 was also
retired after the BulgariaSat-1 mission. B1023, B1025, B1031 and B1035 were recovered
a second time, while B1032 and B1036 were deliberately sunk at sea after a soft ocean
touchdown. By mid-2019, having reflown any single booster only three times to date,
SpaceX indicated that they plan to use a single booster at least five times by the end of
2019.[135] No booster achieved this, but B1048 flew four times and two more (B1046 and
B1049) made a fourth flight in January 2020. In March 2020, SpaceX first flew a booster
(B1048) for the fifth time.

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Figure 3.3 : Falcon 9 landing legs and grid fins (source: spaceX)

The Falcon 9’s first stage is equipped with hypersonic grid fins, and not planar fins, as
shown in the diagram below. Grid fins are used during the re-entry and landing of the first
stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. It helps in guiding the first stage return back to the ground
location after accomplishing primary mission requirements.
Originally it was made from aluminum, but the latest version of Falcon 9 introduces newly
forged titanium grid fins. The specific shape, size, and mount points have changed as well.
Check the below image for size comparison.Elon has often highlighted the high cost of the
titanium grid fins. The life and low-maintenance features make them worth their cost.

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The grid fins are placed in an X-wing configuration and are stowed on the ascent and
deployed during reentry. While the fins are relatively small – they measure just 4 feet by 5
feet – they can roll, pitch, and yaw the 14-story stage up to 20 degrees in order to target a
precision landing. (Note that the dimensions are of older design grid fins)On Falcon 9
there are 4 major components: two of them operates simultaneously.The latches on the top
of the legs that hold the legs in place during the flight and the pushers at the base of the
latches, that hit the leg before landing, letting gravity pull it right down.The landing legs
of Falcon 9 operate mostly using gravity, once they are unlocked the pushers push the legs
down. Inside the leg there is a cravice that fits a telescopic deployment arm, that locks the
leg in place.

My Rocket Drone doesn't have a gimbal on the model rocket motor, as I have to keep it as
light as possible (to control it in the air, in order to land it straight).This means I have to
put some fins at the back of it, to stabilize the Rocket Drone during the launch.

Figure 3.4 : Drone landing Pad in Pacific Ocean

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Falcon 9R second stage

Despite early public statements that SpaceX would endeavor to make the Falcon 9 second-
stage reusable as well, by late 2014, they determined that the mass needed for a re-entry
heat shield, landing engines, and other equipment to support recovery of the second stage
as well as the diversion of development resources from other company objectives was at
that time prohibitive, and indefinitely suspended their second-stage reusability plans for
the Falcon rockets. [156][157] However, in July 2017[43] they indicated that they might
do experimental tests on recovering one or more second-stages in order to learn more
about reusability to inform their Starship development process, [158] and in May 2018
provided additional details about how they might carry out some of that testing.[159] The
Starship is planned to replace all existing SpaceX launch and space vehicles after the mid-
2020s: Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and the Dragon spacecraft, aimed initially at the Earth-
orbit launch market but with capability to support long-duration spaceflight in the cislunar
and Mars mission environments. [160] Both stages will be fully reusable. The integrated
second-stage-with-spaceship design has not been used in previous launch vehicles

Figure 3.4 : Drone Landing Pad in Pacific Ocean (source:spaceX)

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3.5 Payload Fairing and Dragon V2 spacecraft

The payload Fairing is positioned on top of the stacked vehicle and its integrated space
craft. It protects the vehicle against aerodynamics, thermal and acoustic environments that
the launcher experiences during atmosphereic flight. When the launch has left the
atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. Separating the fairing as early as possible increases
ascent performance. Falcon 9’s standard Fairing is 13.1 meters in length and 5.2 meters in
diameter. The fairing consists of an aluminium honeycomb core with carbon-fibre face
sheets fabricated in two half sheets.

Figure 3.6 : Payload fairng and Dragon spacecraft (sorce: spaceX)

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Figure 3.7 : Launching and Vertical Landing of F9R(source: spaceX)

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CHAPTER 4
FALCON 9 RE-USABLE LAUNCH VERTICAL LANDING IMAGES

(SOURCE: SAPCEX)

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CHAPTER 5
FALCON 9 OVERVIER
5.1 Falcon launch vehicle safety
We continue to push the limits of rocket technology as we design the safest crew
transportation system ever flown while simultaneously advancing toward fully reusable
launch vehicles. Our emphasis on safety has led to advancements such as increased
structural factory of safety, greater redundancy and rigorous fault mitigation
The Falcon launch vehicles were designed from the beginning to meet NASA human-rated
safety margins. We continue to push the limits of rocket technology as we design the
safest crew transportation system ever flown while simultaneously advancing toward fully
reusable launch vehicles. Our emphasis on safety has led to advancements such as
increased structural factors of safety, greater redundancy and rigorous fault mitigation.
Because SpaceX produces one Falcon core vehicle, satellite customers benefit from the
high design standards required to safely transport crew.
5.2 Retention, Release and Separation systems
The first and second stages are mated by mechanical latches at three points between the
top of the interstage and the base of the second-stage fuel tank. After the first-stage
engines shut down, a high-pressure helium circuit is used to release the latches via
redundant actuators. The helium system also preloads four pneumatic pushers, which
provide a positive-force for stage separation after latch release. This includes a redundant
center pusher to further decrease the probability of re-contact between the stages following
separation. The two halves of the standard fairing are fastened by mechanical latches
along the fairing vertical seam. To deploy the fairing, a high-pressure helium circuit
releases the latches, and four pneumatic pushers facilitate positive-force deployment of the
two halves. The use of all-pneumatic separation systems provides a benign shock
environment, allows acceptance and preflight testing of the actual separation system
hardware, and minimizes debris created during separation.
The two halves of the extended fairing are fastened by a bolted frangible seam joint. To
deploy the fairing, redundant detonators initiate a detonation cord contained inside an
expanding tube assembly. The detonation causes the expanding tube to expand outwards
and break the structural seam between the two fairings in a controlled and contained
manner. Four pneumatic pushers facilitate positive-force deployment of the two halves.
The use of a nonbolted clamshell interface between the payload fairing and the rest of the
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vehicle provides significant shock attenuation of the separation event, maintaining

environments for the payload well within nominal payload requirements. Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. All rights reserved. 10 For Falcon Heavy, the
fundamental purpose of the side cores is to apply axial force to the center core during
ascent and increase the impulse delivered to second stage before stage separation. The
timing of the shutdown for the Falcon Heavy side cores can be tailored for each mission to
ensure that the proper impulse is delivered. Each side core is structurally connected to the
center core at forward and aft locations. Two pneumatic pusher separation mechanisms
connect the forward ends of each side core to the center core, fastening the top of the LOX
tank in the center core to the side cores. They maintain the connection during ascent and
then actively jettison the side cores following side core shutdown. Two identical pusher
separation mechanisms connect the aft ends of each side core to the center core and are
used to laterally force the base of the side cores from the center core following the side
core shut down.
5.3 Programming in F9R
The Flight Software team is about 35 people. We write all the code for Falcon 9,
Grasshopper, and Dragon applications; and do the core platform work, also on those
vehicles; we also write simulation software; test the flight code; write the communications
and analysis software, deployed in our ground stations. We also work in Mission Control
to support active missions.

The Ground Software team is about 9 people. We primarily code in LabVIEW. We

develop the GUIs used in Mission and Launch control, for engineers and operators to
monitor vehicle telemetry and command the rocket, spacecraft, and pad support
equipment. We are pushing high bandwidth data around a highly distributed system and
implementing complex user interfaces with strict requirements to ensure operators can
control and evaluate spacecraft in a timely manner.

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Launch sites

SpaceX first used Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Space
Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base for Falcon 9 Full Thrust rockets, like
its predecessor Falcon 9 v1.1. Following the 2016 accident at LC-40, launches from the
East Coast were switched to the refurbished pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, leased
from NASA.[52]

Architectural and engineering design work on changes to LC-39A had begun in 2013, the
contract to lease the pad from NASA was signed in April 2014, with construction
commencing later in 2014,[53] including the building of a large Horizontal Integration
Facility (HIF) in order to house both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles with
associated hardware and payloads during processing.[54] The first launch occurred on 19
February 2017 with the CRS-10 mission. Crew Access Arm and White Room work still
need to be completed before crewed launches with the SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule
scheduled for 2019.

An additional private launch site, intended solely for commercial launches, was planned
at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville, Texas[55] following a multi-state evaluation
process in 2012–mid-2014 looking at Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico.[56][57] However,
the focus of the site has been changed from Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
to VTOL test flights of a subscale Starship Hopper test vehicle. It is very unlikely that it
will ever be used for Falcon 9 or Heavy flights, as the current launch pads provide more
than enough launch capability.

Landing sites

Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

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SpaceX has completed construction of a landing zone at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, known as LZ-1. The zone, consisting of a pad 282 feet (86 m) in diameter, was
first used on 16 December 2015 with a successful landing of Falcon 9 Full Thrust.[58] The
landing on LZ-1 was the first overall successful Falcon 9 and the third landing attempt on
a hard surface. As of 4 June 2020, only one landing attempt has failed. The booster landed
just offshore. In the following few days, it was towed back to Port Canaveral, raised out of
the water using two cranes, and brought back to a SpaceX hangar.

Directly next to LZ-1 SpaceX constructed LZ-2 to allow simultaneous booster landings
after Falcon Heavy flights. As of June 2020, three boosters have landed at LZ-2.

SpaceX also created a landing site at the former launch complex SLC-4W at Vandenberg
Air Force Base. In 2014, the launch site was demolished for reconstruction as a landing
site.[59] On 8 October 2018, a Falcon 9 rocket booster successfully landed at the new
ground pad, known as LZ-4, for the first time.[60]

Drone ships
Main article: Autonomous spaceport drone ship

Starting in 2014, SpaceX commissioned the construction of autonomous spaceport drone

ships (ASDS) from deck barges, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing
platform. The ships, which are stationed hundreds of kilometers downrange, allow for first
stage recovery on high-velocity missions which cannot return to the launch site.[61][62]

SpaceX has three operational drone ships, Just Read the Instructions , Of Course I Still
Love You and "A Shortfall of Gravitas", both "A Shortfall of Gravitas" and "Just Read the
instructions" are used in the Atlantic for launches from Cape Canaveral, although "Of
Course I Still Love You" is being operated in the Pacific from the port of Vandenberg.

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Modifications from Falcon 9 v1.1

The third version of the Falcon 9 was developed in 2014–2015 and made its maiden flight
in December 2015. The Falcon 9 Full Thrust is a modified reusable variant of the Falcon 9
family with capabilities that exceed the Falcon 9 v1.1, including the ability to "land the
first stage for geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) missions on the drone ship"[14][15] The
rocket was designed using systems and software technology that had been developed as
part of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program, a private initiative by
SpaceX to facilitate rapid reusability of both the first–and in the long term, second—stages
SpaceX launch vehicles. Various technologies were tested on the Grasshopper technology
demonstrator, as well as several flights of the Falcon 9 v1.1 on which post-mission booster
controlled-descent tests were being conducted.

In 2015, SpaceX made a number of modifications to the existing Falcon 9 v1.1. The new
rocket was known internally as Falcon 9 Full Thrust,[18] and is also known as Falcon 9
v1.2, Enhanced Falcon 9, Full-Performance Falcon 9,[14] and Falcon 9 Upgrade.

A principal objective of the new design was to facilitate booster reusability for a larger
range of missions, including delivery of large commsats to geosynchronous orbit.

Modifications in the upgraded version include:

• liquid oxygen subcooled to 66.5 K (−206.7 °C; 119.7 °R; −340.0 °F) and RP-1
cooled to 266.5 K (−6.6 °C; 479.7 °R; 20.0 °F)[20] for density (allowing more
fuel and oxidizer to be stored in a given tank volume, as well as increasing the
propellant mass flow through the turbopumps increasing thrust)
• upgraded structure in the first stage[19][21]
• longer second stage propellant tanks[19]
• longer and stronger interstage, housing the second stage engine nozzle, grid
fins, and attitude thrusters[19][21]
• center pusher added for stage separation[19]
• design evolution of the grid fins[19][21]
• modified Octaweb[19]
• upgraded landing legs[19][21]
• Merlin 1D engine thrust increased[19] to the full-thrust variant of the Merlin 1D,
taking advantage of the denser propellants achieved by subcooling

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The modified design gained an additional 1.2 meters of height, stretching to exactly 70
meters including payload fairing,[13] while gaining an overall performance increase of 33
percent.[19] The new first-stage engine has a much increased thrust-to-weight ratio.

The full-thrust first stage booster could reach low Earth orbit as a single-stage-to-orbit if it
is not carrying the upper stage and a heavy satellite.[23]

Versions launched in 2017 have included an experimental recovery system for the payload
fairing halves. On 30 March 2017, SpaceX for the first time recovered a fairing from
the SES-10 mission, thanks to thrusters and a steerable parachute helping it glide towards
a gentle touchdown on water.[24]

On the 25 June 2017 flight (Iridium NEXT 11–20), aluminum grid fins were replaced by
titanium versions, to improve control authority and better cope with heat during re-
entry.[25] Following post-flight inspections, Elon Musk announced the new grid fins likely
will require no service between flights.[26]

Autonomous flight termination system[edit]

SpaceX has been developing for some time an alternative autonomous system to replace
the traditional ground-based systems that had been in use for all US launches for over six
decades. The autonomous system has been in use on some of SpaceX' VTVL suborbital
test flights in Texas, and has flown in parallel on a number of orbital launches as part of a
system test process to gain approval for use on operational flights.

In February 2017, SpaceX's CRS-10 launch was the first operational launch utilizing the
new Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) on "either of Air Force Space
Command's Eastern or Western Ranges." The following SpaceX flight, EchoStar 23 in
March, was the last SpaceX launch utilizing the historic system of ground radars, tracking
computers, and personnel in launch bunkers that had been used for over sixty years for all
launches from the Eastern Range. For all future SpaceX launches, AFSS has replaced "the
ground-based mission flight control personnel and equipment with on-board Positioning,
Navigation and Timing sources and decision logic. The benefits of AFSS include
increased public safety, reduced reliance on range infrastructure, reduced range spacelift

cost, increased schedule predictability and availability, operational flexibility, and launch
slot flexibility.

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CHAPTER 6
APPLICATION AND ADVANTAGES
6.1 Applications
• It’s type of launch vehicle which can left up satellite to the orbits can take payload
to the international space station and can also take humans using dragan vehicle.
• As this is the 1st resusable launch vehicle ever used is the pivotal breakthrough
needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access.
• The reusable launch vehicle can reused within 24 hours after the stages1 F9R lands
vertically.
• Falcon 9R is being said the in future when a colony will be formed in MARS the
transportion for human beings are being carried out of next versions of FALCON
launch vehicle was said by the SPACEX CEO.
• In single launch F9R can put 15 satellite of orit of each of 200kg.
• Can be used in military applications.
6.2 Advantages
• Compared to other launch vehicles the F9R is reusable launch vehicle.
• By using F9R the cost is being reduced by 40 percent.
• Total liftoff mass 1400 mrtrics tons (14 Lakh kilo) by using in a single launch have
been planned this year.
• The stage-1 can be landed any were means in a ship or sea drone which is very
efficient.
• Falcon 9R is a highly reliable launch vehicle.
6.3 Disadvantages
• The Falcon 9 experience major temperature changes during its flights, as well as
intense pressures and vibrations from the winds in the atmosphere.
• Refurbishing a rocket engine is often expensive. And if those repairs take too long,
company can’t launch its vehicles as frequently. Refurbished costs are too long,
company can’t launch its vehicles as frequently. Refueblished costs are too
expensive.
• To launch F9R the climate condition should be absolute normal, if anything goes
wrong the return stage-1 of falcon 9 will get damage.
• The vertical landing of F9R is very complicated.

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FALCON 9: REUSEABLE SATELLITEB LAUNCH VEHICLE 2021-22

CONCLUSION
If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access
to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred. A fully reusable vehicle has
never been done before. That really is the fundamental breakthrough needed to
revolutionize access to space. Falcon 9 believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the
pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access. The majority
of the launch cost comes from building the rockets, which flies only once. Compare that to
a commercial airliner each new plane costs about the same as falcon 9. But can fly
multiple times per day, and conduct tens of thousands of flights over its lifetime .the main
idea was trying to understand why rockets were so expensive . obviously the lowest cost
you can make anything for is the spot value of the material constituents. To make
spaceflight routine and affordable, and to make humans a multi-planet species.

=
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REFERENSE

• "ACTIVE LAUNCH VEHICLE RELIABILITY STATISTICS". SPACE

LAUNCH REPORT. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
• "SpaceX launches, retrieves its first recycled rocket". Washington
Post. Associated Press. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
• Chang, Kenneth (30 March 2017). "SpaceX Launches a Satellite With a Partly
Used Rocket". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
• B. de Selding, Peter (16 October 2015). "SpaceX Changes its Falcon 9 Return-to-
flight Plans". SpaceNews. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
• de Selding, Peter B. (20 March 2015). "SpaceX Aims To Debut New Version of
Falcon 9 this Summer". Space News. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
• "Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Payload User's Guide, Rev 2" (PDF). SpaceX. 21
October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 27
January 2016.
• Svitak, Amy (17 March 2015). "SpaceX's New Spin on Falcon 9". Aviation Week.
Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
• Svitak, Amy (21 March 2015). "SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell Talks Raptor, Falcon
9, CRS-2, Satellite Internet and More". Aviation Week and Space Technology.
Penton. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• Abbott, Joseph (8 May 2013). "SpaceX's Grasshopper leaping to NM spaceport".
Waco Tribune. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
• Bergin, Chris (3 April 2015). "SpaceX preparing for a busy season of missions and
test milestones". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
• Bergin, Chris (9 September 2015). "Full Thrust Falcon 9 stage undergoing testing
at McGregor". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 18 September 2015.

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering, SJBIT - 27-