Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has pioneered fully reusable launch, propellant delivery, rendezvous and planetary landing systems designed to lower spaceflight costs while expanding human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Their flagship products are the Falcon rocket family and Dragon spacecraft.
Dragons have delivered cargo and supplies to the International Space Station and performed NASA astronaut resupply missions, and can also transport commercial astronauts and customers between Earth orbit and ISS.
Dragon
Dragon is SpaceX’s primary cargo and crew carrier to the International Space Station (ISS). It delivers equipment, supplies and environmental research projects as well as astronauts between Earth orbit and orbital outposts.
Dragon, during its missions to the International Space Station (ISS), docks autonomously – without needing human guidance or direction – thanks to GPS sensors, cameras and imaging instruments that help it determine when and how best to fire its thrusters for optimal results.
Once its mission to the International Space Station is over, Dragon undocks and returns to Earth using its parachute system to slow its descent. A heat shield protects it from temperatures hotter than the Sun upon reentry; eventually landing on Cape Canaveral, Florida for landing. SpaceX is currently testing prototype versions of Dragon for future lunar landings as well as crewed Mars missions.
Falcon 9
After the success of Dragon, SpaceX began developing their Falcon 9 rocket to carry payloads into space. NASA provided funding of $278 million through their Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program for this development effort.
The Falcon 9 rocket is designed to be reusable, with its boosters landing on a drone ship nearby the launch pad reducing launch costs significantly.
On July 12th 2021, a Falcon Heavy launched a satellite for Starlink Internet provider but its second stage failed and separated from its cargo causing debris to disperse into Earth’s atmosphere.
SpaceX is developing a larger rocket called Starship that boasts greater thrust than Falcon Heavy and can carry heavier payloads, and could eventually be used for fast transportation around Earth, flights to the Moon, as well as unmanned missions to Mars or even further beyond. Come visit our new exhibit of Falcon Heavy booster stages at the Museum!
Falcon Heavy
The Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket. Capable of lifting five times as much material into space than its nearest competitor and accommodating vehicles carrying up to 100 people simultaneously for launch, the Falcon Heavy can transport massive amounts of materials into space.
Falcon Heavy can transport large satellites for commercial use as well as science experiments and even crewed missions – it currently holds the contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station for NASA.
Falcon Heavy’s high payload capacity makes it attractive to both private space companies and non-American government agencies, like ViaSat who chose it to launch their satellite constellation from 2020-2022.
SpaceX generally strives to make its rocket boosters and upper stages reusable. They have already accomplished this with side boosters landing successfully on droneships in the ocean with nets in place to catch them, while for missions requiring extreme performance enhancement, center core may instead be expended rather than recovered to maximize performance.
Starship
SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle is an innovative two-stage fully reusable super heavy lift launch vehicle under development that can transport satellites, cargo and crew to various orbits around Earth, Moon or Mars landing sites.
Launch costs can be reduced through economies of scale when lower rocket booster and upper spacecraft stages can fly multiple times, using reusability to make operation and maintenance simpler and cheaper. Its propellant tanks are autogenously pressurized using pumping ullage gas back into fuel and oxidizer tanks; allowing them to self-pump.
Starship’s first test flight, conducted in April 2023, ended minutes into its mission when it failed to disassemble from Super Heavy as planned and experienced what SpaceX termed an unscheduled disassembly. SpaceX attempted again later that month; although successful this time around but suffered another catastrophic failure during reentry that fractured it further. Regardless, SpaceX believes they have made strides toward creating an orbital transport capable of hauling 150 tons into orbit and transporting colonists onto other celestial bodies.