Editing Falcon 1 (section)

{{short description|Expendable launch system by SpaceX}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox rocket
|image = Falcon 1 Flight 4 liftoff.jpg
|caption = Falcon 1 flight 4, the first successful launch of a privately developed, fully liquid-fueled rocket to enter orbit around the Earth.
|name = Falcon 1
|function = [[Small-lift launch vehicle]]
|manufacturer = [[SpaceX]]
|country-origin = United States
|cpl = US$7 million
|pcost = US$90 million

|derivatives    = [[Falcon 9 v1.0]]

|height = {{cvt|21|m|ftin}}
|diameter = {{cvt|1.7|m|ftin}}
|mass = {{cvt|28000|kg}}
|stages = 2
|capacities = 
  {{Infobox rocket/payload
  |location = [[Low Earth orbit|LEO]]
  |inclination   = 9.0 - 9.35°
  |kilos    = {{plainlist|
* '''Demonstrated (667 km orbit)''': {{cvt|180|kg}}
* '''Proposed (185 km orbit)''': {{cvt|670|kg}}<ref name="un20060101">{{cite book|publisher=International Astronautical Federation, United Nations. Office for Outer Space Affairs, International Institute of Space Law|title=Highlights in Space 2005: Progress in Space Science, Technology and Applications, International Cooperation and Space Law|date= 2006|isbn=978-9211009897|page=11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SpaceX Falcon Data Sheet |url=https://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104191629/http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |website=Space Launch Report |access-date=April 21, 2021}}</ref>
  }}}}
  {{Infobox rocket/payload
  |location = [[Sun synchronous orbit|SSO]]
  |kilos    = {{cvt|200|kg}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georing.biz/usefull/Falcon1UsersGuide.pdf |title=Users Guide |publisher=www.georing.biz |date= |accessdate=March 11, 2021}}</ref>
  }}
|status = Retired<ref name="F1-retired">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacex.com/falcon1.php |title=Falcon 1 |publisher=Space Exploration Technologies Corporation |access-date=September 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118140101/http://www.spacex.com/falcon1.php |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
|sites = [[Omelek Island]]
|launches = 5
|fail = 3
|partial = 
|success = 2
|first=March 24, 2006, 22:30&nbsp;[[UTC]]
|last= July 14, 2009, 03:35&nbsp;UTC
|stagedata    = 
  {{Infobox rocket/stage
  |type       = stage
  |stageno    = First
  |engines    = 1 × [[Merlin (rocket engine)|Merlin 1A]] (first 2 flights)<br /> 1 × [[Merlin (rocket engine)|Merlin 1C]] (final 3 flights)
  |thrust     = {{cvt|450|kN}}
  |SI         = {{cvt|255|isp}} at [[sea level]]
  |burntime   = 169 s
  |fuel       = [[RP-1]] / [[LOX]]
  }}
  {{Infobox rocket/stage
  |type       = stage
  |stageno    = Second
  |engines    = 1 × [[SpaceX Kestrel|Kestrel]]
  |thrust     = {{cvt|31|kN}}
  |SI         = {{cvt|327|isp}}
  |burntime   = 378 s
  |fuel       = [[RP-1]] / [[LOX]]
  }}
}}
{{Private spaceflight}}
'''Falcon 1''' was a [[two-stage]] [[small-lift launch vehicle]] that was operated from 2006 to 2009<ref name="st20130301">{{cite news |last=Engel |first=Max |date=March 1, 2013<!-- this is the PUBLICATION date of the newsstand issue; it came online on the internet by 15 Feb, but its stated date is 1 March 2013 --> |title=Launch Market on Cusp of Change |newspaper=Satellite Today |url=http://www.satellitetoday.com/via/satellitegetspersonal/Launch-Market-on-Cusp-of-Change_40648.html |url-status=dead |access-date=February 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218050904/http://www.satellitetoday.com/via/satellitegetspersonal/Launch-Market-on-Cusp-of-Change_40648.html |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |quote=''SpaceX is not the first private company to try to break through the commercial space launch market. The company, however, appears to be the real thing. Privately funded, it had a vehicle before it got money from NASA, and while NASA's space station resupply funds are a tremendous boost, SpaceX would have existed without it.''}}</ref> by [[SpaceX]], an American [[aerospace manufacturer]]. On September 28, 2008, Falcon 1 became the first [[private spaceflight|privately developed]] fully liquid-fueled launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit.<ref name="vance2015">
{{cite book|last1=Vance|first1=Ashlee|author-link=Ashlee Vance|title=Elon Musk : Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future|date=2015|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-230123-9|location=New York|page=<!-- use 'rp' template following to allow multiple reference -->}}</ref>{{rp|203}}<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Tariq Malik |date=September 29, 2008 |title=SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 Rocket Into Orbit |url=https://www.space.com/5905-spacex-successfully-launches-falcon-1-rocket-orbit.html |access-date=April 6, 2022 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Falcon 1 used [[liquid oxygen|LOX]]/[[RP-1]] for both stages, the first stage powered by a single pump-fed [[SpaceX Merlin|Merlin]] engine, and the second stage powered by SpaceX's pressure-fed [[SpaceX Kestrel|Kestrel]] vacuum engine.

The vehicle was launched a total of five times. After three failed launch attempts, Falcon 1 achieved orbit on its [[#Fourth flight|fourth attempt]] in September 2008 with a [[Ratsat|mass simulator]] as a payload. On July 14, 2009, Falcon 1 made its second successful flight, delivering the [[Malaysia]]n [[RazakSAT]] satellite to orbit on SpaceX's first commercial launch (fifth and final launch overall). 

While SpaceX had announced an enhanced variant, the [[Falcon 1e]],<ref name="F1-retired"/> following this flight, the Falcon 1 was retired in favor of the [[Falcon 9 v1.0]], the first version of the company’s successful and long-running [[Falcon 9]] launch vehicle.