SpaceX

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Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is a space transport company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by former PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk. It has developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles, both of which were from conception designed with a goal of eventually becoming reusable. SpaceX also developed the Dragon spacecraft to be flown into orbit by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, initially transporting cargo and later planned to carry humans. On 25 May 2012, SpaceX made history as the world's first privately held company to send a cargo payload, carried on the Dragon spacecraft, to the International Space Station.[4]
In order to control quality and costs, SpaceX designs, tests and fabricates the majority of its components in-house, including the Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco rocket engines used on the Falcon launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft. In 2006, NASA awarded the company a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract to design and demonstrate a launch system to resupply cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). On 9 December 2010, the launch of the COTS Demo Flight 1 mission, SpaceX became the first privately funded company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. On 22 May 2012, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space, marking the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. The unmanned, cone-shaped capsule became the first privately built and operated vehicle to ever dock to the orbiting outpost.
NASA has also awarded SpaceX a contract to develop and demonstrate a human-rated Dragon as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program to transport crew to the ISS. SpaceX is planning its first crewed Dragon/Falcon9 flight in 2015, when it expects to have a fully certified, human-rated launch escape system incorporated into the spacecraft.
Besides NASA contracts, SpaceX has signed contracts with private sector companies, non-American government agencies and the American military for its launch services. It has already launched, for a paying customer, a low earth orbiting satellite with its Falcon 1 booster in 2009.[5] The company plans to launch its first commercial geostationary satellite in 2013 from a Falcon 9.
Future projects that are in the planning stages or in development include the Falcon Heavy launch system, as well as a NASA robotic mission to Mars in 2018. The Heavy is based on Falcon 9 technology, and if construction goes as planned, it will be the most powerful rocket in the American inventory since the Apollo-era Saturn V. Falcon Heavy can be used to send a crewed Dragon spacecraft on lunar orbiting missions – such as the Apollo 8 mission; or be used to send a modified unpiloted Dragon on a Mars landing mission. Musk has stated that his intention for the company is to help in the creation of a permanent human presence on Mars.

Background

SpaceX was founded in June 2002 by PayPal and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk who had invested $100 million USD of his own money by March 2006.[6] In January 2005, SpaceX bought a 10% stake in Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.[7] On 4 August 2008, SpaceX accepted a further $20 million USD investment from the Founders Fund.[8] The company has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2002, growing from 160 employees in November 2005 to more than 500 by July 2008, to over 1,100 in 2010.[9][10] Two-thirds of the company is owned by its founder[11] and his 70 million shares are worth $875 million on private markets,[12] which roughly values SpaceX at $1.3 billion as of February 2012.[13] An initial public offering may happen by the end of 2013.[14]
Musk believes the high prices of other space-launch services are driven in part by unnecessary bureaucracy. He has stated that one of his goals is to improve the cost and reliability of access to space, ultimately by a factor of ten.[15] SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch and return a spacecraft from orbit on 8 December 2010, after its Dragon capsule returned from a two-orbit flight.[16] Space Foundation recognized SpaceX for its successful Dragon launch and recovery with the Space Achievement Award in 2011.[17]
At various conferences, SpaceX has revealed concept slides for future engine, stage, and launch vehicle designs. Development of these designs would be predicated on demand for increased performance. Company plans in 2004 called for "development of a heavy lift product and even a super-heavy, if there is customer demand" with each size increase resulting in a significant decrease in cost per pound to orbit. CEO Elon Musk said: "I believe $500 per pound ($1,100/kg) or less is very achievable."[18]
Elon Musk has stated the personal goal of eventually enabling human exploration and settlement of Mars.[19] He stated in a 2011 interview that he hopes to send humans to Mars' surface within 10–20 years.

Falcon 1

The Falcon 1 is a partially reusable launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX, a space transportation company in Hawthorne, California. The two-stage-to-orbit rocket uses LOX/RP-1 for both stages, the first powered by a single Merlin engine and the second powered by a single Kestrel engine. It was designed by SpaceX from the ground up and is the first successfully liquid-propelled orbital launch vehicle developed with private funding.
The Falcon 1 achieved orbit on its fourth attempt, on 28 September 2008, with a mass simulator as a payload. On 14 July 2009, Falcon 1 successfully delivered the Malaysian RazakSAT satellite to orbit on SpaceX's first commercial launch (fifth launch overall). Following its fifth launch, the Falcon 1 was retired in favour of an enhanced variant, the Falcon 1e.[1]
As of May 2012, SpaceX states that "Current plans are for payloads that would fly on Falcon 1 to be served by flights on the Falcon 9, utilizing excess capacity" and no Falcon 1 or 1e flights are scheduled through 2017.

Height : 21.3 m (70 ft)
Diameter : 1.7 m (5.5 ft)
Mass : 38,555 kg (85,000 lb)
Stages : 2

Falcon 9

Falcon 9 is a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, California. Both stages of its two-stage-to-orbit vehicle use liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants. The Falcon 9 can lift payloads of 10,450 kilograms (23,000 lb) to low Earth orbit, and 4,450 kilograms (9,800 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit, which places the Falcon 9 design in the medium-lift range of launch systems.
The first Falcon 9 flight was launched, after several delays, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 4, 2010, at 2:45 pm EDT (19:45 UTC) with a successful orbital insertion.[5]
The second launch of the Falcon 9, and the first of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop it, occurred at 10:43 EST (15:43 UTC) on December 8, 2010, from Cape Canaveral.[6] The Dragon spacecraft completed two orbits, then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.[7]
The Falcon 9 and Dragon combination won a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

Height : 54.3 m (178 ft)
Diameter : 3.66 m (12.0 ft)
Mass : 333,400 kg (735,000 lb)
Stages : 2

 

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Dragon (spacecraft)

The Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX, a private space transportation company based in Hawthorne, California. During its uncrewed maiden flight in December 2010, Dragon became the first commercially-built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit.[6] On 25 May 2012, an uncrewed variant of Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).[7][8][9][10]
SpaceX is contracted to deliver cargo to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program, and Dragon is scheduled to begin regular cargo flights in September 2012.[11][12] Additionally, NASA awarded SpaceX a Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) contract in April 2011. The Dragon is planned to carry up to seven astronauts, or a combination of personnel and cargo, to and from low Earth orbit. The Dragon's heat shield is furthermore designed to withstand Earth re-entry velocities from potential lunar and Martian spaceflights.


Height : 6.1 meters (20 feet)
Diameter : 3.7 meters (12.1 feet)
Sidewall angle : 15 degrees

 

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Falcon Heavy

Falcon Heavy, previously known as the Falcon 9 Heavy, is a spaceflight launch system that uses rocket engines currently being designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Both stages of the two-stage-to-orbit vehicles use liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants. Multiple variants are planned with payloads of 53,000 kilograms (120,000 lb) to low Earth orbit,[4] 19,000 kilograms (42,000 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit,[5] 16,000 kilograms (35,000 lb) to translunar trajectory, and 14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb) towards[clarification needed] Mars[6],[non-primary source needed] which will place the Falcon Heavy design in the super heavy lift [7] range of launch systems. It is expected to be 50% more powerful than the Delta IV Heavy or about 50% less powerful than the Russian Energia used for Buran (1987-1988) and the USA Saturn V (1967-1973) used in the Apollo program.


Height : 69.2 m (227 ft)
Diameter : 3.66 m (12.0 ft)
Mass : 1,400,000 kg (3,100,000 lb)
Stages : 2+

 

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Falcon XX

 

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Merlin

Merlin is a rocket engine developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets. Merlin uses RP-1 and liquid oxygen as propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine is designed for sea recovery and reuse.
The injector at the heart of Merlin is of the pintle type that was first used in the Apollo Program for the lunar module landing engine (LMDE).
Propellants are fed via a single shaft, dual impeller turbo-pump. The turbo-pump also provides high pressure fluid for the hydraulic actuators, which then recycles into the low pressure inlet. This eliminates the need for a separate hydraulic power system and means that thrust vector control failure by running out of hydraulic fluid is not possible. A third use of the turbo-pump is to provide power to pivot the turbine exhaust nozzle for roll control purposes.