Falcon 9Block 5 / launch vehicle
sourcingtypical 4/5 · 16 factsFalcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
key specs
figures describe the Block 5 configuration where sourced
positioning
Falcon 9 is the industry's metronome: 604 flights and 603 successes per Launch Library, with reused boosters setting the price floor everyone else quotes against. Its weakness is systemic: when one design carries most of the world's manifest, a single stand-down stalls everyone's schedule.
faq
Who builds Falcon 9?
Falcon 9 is built by SpaceX. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
How many times has Falcon 9 flown?
Falcon 9 has flown 604 times. (source, as of 2026-07-06)
When did Falcon 9 first fly?
Falcon 9 first flew on 2018-05-11. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
Is Falcon 9 reusable?
Falcon 9 is reusable. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
facts
events
- notable2026-07-08Earthjustice petitions FCC to pause orbital data center licensing
- notable2026-07-08ispace books 500 kg of SpaceX Starship lunar cargo space
- notable2026-07-07Rocket Lab CFO says 'panic' setting in over Falcon 9 rideshare access
- notable2026-07-07SpaceX joins the Nasdaq-100 weeks after its Nasdaq IPO
- notable2026-07-07Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs split on SpaceX price target
- notable2026-07-02GAO flags cost overruns, schedule risk in Space Force satellites
- notable2026-06-30SpaceX asks FCC to license 100,000-satellite Gen3 fleet
- notable2026-06-26SpaceX tells investors it plans a Starlink retail mobile service in the US
- noise2026-06-24SpaceX names its orbital AI compute megaconstellation Starmind
- major2026-06-23SpaceX prices $25 billion inaugural bond offering across five tranches
- notable2026-06-23SpaceX flies first Starfall reentry capsule on a secretive Falcon 9 demo mission
- noise2026-06-19SpaceX launches NROL-179 reconnaissance mission on Falcon 9 from Vandenberg
- notable2026-06-19SpaceX beach closures at Boca Chica survive as Texas Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit
- noise2026-06-17AST SpaceMobile puts BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 in orbit on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral
- major2026-06-16SpaceX agrees to buy AI coding company Cursor in a $60 billion all-stock deal
- seismic2026-06-12SpaceX goes public on Nasdaq, raising $75 billion in the largest IPO on record
- notable2026-06-10SpaceX Starbase land swap challenged in federal court by conservation groups and tribe
- noise2026-06-08SpaceX flies Falcon 9 booster B1067 for a record 35th time on Starlink 10-35
timeline
- 20242024-07-12incidentStarlink Group 9-3 launch failureoutcome: Launch Failurecause: An oxygen leak caused a failure of the second stage engine during its second burn leading to the loss of all Starlink satellites. (source, as of 2026-07-08)