SpaceX Launch Vehicle Fleet

Engineering the
Reusable Frontier

From the workhorse Falcon 9 to the colossus that is Starship — a technical deep-dive into SpaceX's launch vehicles, propulsion systems, payload performance, and the infrastructure driving the next era of spaceflight.

arrow_downwardExplore Rockets mailDiscuss a Project

TWO-STAGE · PARTIALLY REUSABLE

Falcon 9

The rocket that changed the economics of spaceflight. Falcon 9 is the world's first orbital-class reusable rocket, having landed its first stage booster over 300 times. It is the backbone of SpaceX commercial operations and has become the most frequently launched orbital rocket in history.

verified 300+ successful booster landings — First flight: June 4, 2010

Development Timeline

  1. 2005Development begins; Merlin 1C engine selected as baseline
  2. 2010Falcon 9 v1.0 maiden flight; Dragon demo capsule delivered to orbit
  3. 2013v1.1 upgrade: stretched tanks, Merlin 1D, octaweb engine layout
  4. 2015First successful booster landing (ORBCOMM-2 mission)
  5. 2018Block 5 final variant debuts — designed for 10+ reflights per booster
  6. 2023–2025Single boosters reach 20+ reflights; record cadence exceeds 100 launches/year

Stage & Propulsion

First Stage — 9× Merlin 1D Vacuum (sea-level)845 kN vacuum thrust each; octaweb arrangement; LOX/RP-1 propellants; grid fins + cold-gas thrusters for landing
Second Stage — 1× Merlin 1D Vacuum934 kN vacuum thrust; single fixed nozzle; restartable for multi-burn missions; expended on each flight
Interstage & Fairing5.2 m diameter composite fairing; pneumatic separation; fairing halves recovered by net-equipped ships (Mr. Tree, Ms. Chief)
Landing Systems4 deployable landing legs; titanium grid fins; propulsive entry/landing burn; ASDS drone ships (OCISLY, JRTI) or LZ-1/LZ-4 pads

Key Specifications

Height
70 m
Diameter
3.7 m
LEO Payload
22,800 kg
GTO Payload
8,300 kg
Liftoff Thrust
7,607 kN
Propellants
LOX / RP-1
Stages
2
Engines (S1)
9× Merlin 1D
Fairing 2nd Stage Interstage 1st Stage Grid Fins 9× Merlin 1D Landing Legs MVac Nozzle

Milestone Achievements

  • First privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit (2008, Falcon 1)
  • First orbital rocket booster to successfully land propulsively (Dec 2015)
  • Launched more mass to orbit in 2023 than any other vehicle in history
  • Reflown a single booster 20+ times — a record for any rocket stage
  • Delivers Starlink satellites, Dragon crew/cargo, commercial and government payloads
  • Fairing recovery system saves ~$6M per mission vs. expendable operation

Image Gallery

Falcon 9 launchFalcon 9 booster landing on drone shipFalcon 9 night launchFalcon 9 grid fins deploy

HEAVY-LIFT · TRIPLE CORE · REUSABLE

Falcon Heavy

The most powerful operational rocket in the world when it debuted in 2018, Falcon Heavy straps three Falcon 9 first stages together to produce over 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Its side cores land simultaneously — one of the most visually stunning feats in the history of spaceflight.

celebration Maiden flight: Feb 6, 2018 — Elon's Tesla Roadster to heliocentric orbit

Development Timeline

  1. 2011Falcon Heavy announced; 27-engine cluster concept revealed
  2. 2013–2017Design iterations; cross-feed propellant concept dropped for simplicity
  3. Feb 2018Demo flight — Tesla Roadster payload; side cores land simultaneously at LZ-1/LZ-2
  4. 2019First operational mission (Arabsat-6A); first expended centre-core recoveries
  5. 2023–2025NASA GOES-U, DoD USSF missions; fully expendable centre core for max payload

Stage & Propulsion

Core Stage — 9× Merlin 1DCentre booster; throttled at liftoff to reduce loads; expended on most missions (ASDS landing optional)
Side Cores (×2) — 9× Merlin 1D eachIdentical Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters; separate at ~3 min; land simultaneously at LZ-1 and LZ-2
Second Stage — 1× Merlin VacuumIdentical to Falcon 9 upper stage; restartable for complex GTO/GEO/HEO injection
5.2 m Composite FairingSame fairing as Falcon 9; recovered by SpaceX ships; supports payloads up to 63,800 kg to LEO in expendable mode

Key Specifications

Height
70 m
Diameter
12.2 m (cores)
LEO Payload
63,800 kg
GTO Payload
26,700 kg
Liftoff Thrust
22,819 kN
Engines Total
27× Merlin 1D
Cores
3 (1 centre + 2 side)
Fairing Dia.
5.2 m
Fairing Interstage Side Core Side Core 27× Merlin 1D engines total

Milestone Achievements

  • Most powerful operational rocket on its debut in 2018 — 5.1 million lbf thrust
  • Simultaneous dual booster landing at LC-39A remains one of space's most iconic images
  • Sent Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster to a heliocentric orbit around the Sun
  • Supports DoD national security payloads, NASA science, and commercial GEO satellites
  • Expendable mode delivers 63,800 kg to LEO — more than any Western rocket pre-Starship
  • Cost per flight (~$90–150M) dramatically undercuts Ariane 5 and ULA Atlas V equivalents

Image Gallery

Falcon Heavy on pad 39AFalcon Heavy dual booster landingFalcon Heavy liftoff with StarmanFalcon Heavy three-core separation

FULLY REUSABLE · SUPER HEAVY-LIFT

Starship / Super Heavy

The largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built. Starship is a fully reusable, two-stage system consisting of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage. Designed to carry 100+ people to the Moon, Mars, and beyond — and to be refuelled in orbit for interplanetary missions.

whatshot 16.7 million lbf thrust — First integrated flight: April 20, 2023

Development Timeline

  1. 2012–2016Raptor engine development begins; Interplanetary Transport System concept revealed at IAC 2016
  2. 2019Starhopper completes tethered + free-flight hops; Raptor engine first tested at full scale
  3. 2020–2021SN8–SN15 high-altitude test flights; SN15 first successful landing
  4. Apr 2023Integrated Flight Test 1 — first full stack launch; vehicle cleared pad; FTS activated at T+4 min
  5. Nov 2023 – Mar 2024IFT-2 and IFT-3 — stage separation achieved; reentry and controlled descent demonstrated
  6. Oct 2024IFT-5 — Super Heavy booster caught by "Mechazilla" chopstick arms; Starship splashdown in Indian Ocean

Stage & Propulsion

Super Heavy Booster — 33× Raptor 2 engines~74 m tall; 13 m diameter; 230+ tonnes of thrust per engine; sea-level Raptors; centre cluster for hover/landing; caught by launch tower arms
Starship Upper Stage — 6× Raptor engines3 sea-level + 3 vacuum-optimised Raptors; stainless steel structure; header tanks for landing; belly-flap reentry control
Propellants — LOX / Liquid Methane (CH₄)Chosen for Mars ISRU compatibility — methane and LOX can be synthesised from Mars atmospheric CO₂ + subsurface water ice
Orbital Refuelling ArchitectureStarship-to-Starship propellant transfer in orbit enables lunar and interplanetary missions; NASA HLS contract requires this capability

Key Specifications

Height
121 m (stacked)
Diameter
9 m
LEO Payload
150,000 kg+
Liftoff Thrust
~74,000 kN
Booster Engines
33× Raptor 2
Ship Engines
6× Raptor 2
Propellants
LOX / CH₄
Structure
304L Stainless Steel
Canards Header Tanks Aft Flaps 6× Raptor Hot Staging Ring Grid Fins Super Heavy Booster 33× Raptor 2 Chopstick Arms

Milestone Achievements

  • Largest rocket ever flown — surpasses Saturn V in both height and thrust
  • First rocket booster to be caught mid-air by a launch tower (Oct 2024, IFT-5)
  • Hot-staging separation — booster Raptors ignite before separation for maximum efficiency
  • Stainless steel structure with active methane cooling on heat shield tiles
  • NASA Artemis HLS contract awarded — Starship will land astronauts on the Moon
  • Fully reusable design targets cost below $10/kg to LEO at scale

Image Gallery

Starship IFT-5 launch from StarbaseSuper Heavy booster caught by Mechazilla armsStarship reentry belly-flap manoeuvreStarship on the pad at Boca Chica night

BOCA CHICA, TEXAS

Starbase

SpaceX's own city and launch facility on the southern tip of Texas. Starbase is not just a launch site — it is a fully integrated design-build-fly campus where Starships are manufactured, tested, stacked, and launched within metres of each other, enabling a rapid iteration cycle unlike any aerospace programme in history.

OLM Launch Mount Mechazilla Flame Trench Tank Farm (LOX / CH₄) High Bay Stack & Integration Mid Bay Manufacturing Prop Test Stand Mission Control Texas Highway 4 Gulf of Mexico Landing Zone N↑

Facility Overview

height
Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) — 146 m towerHouses the "Mechazilla" integration and catch arm system; quick-disconnect propellant and electrical umbilicals; flame deflector with water deluge system
factory
High Bay — Ring stacking & full vehicle integrationStarship and Super Heavy rings welded on-site; rapid build cadence targeting multiple vehicles simultaneously; less than 1 km from launch pad
water_drop
Propellant Infrastructure — 3,400+ tonnes LOX/CH₄ on-siteLiquid oxygen produced locally; methane piped from Texas grid; sub-cooled propellant loading for maximum density packing
precision_manufacturing
Engine Assembly & Test StandRaptor engines tested at the adjacent propulsion facility; components shipped from the Hawthorne, CA factory; Raptor production targeting 1,000+ units/year
flight_land
Booster Catch — "Mechazilla" Chopstick ArmsTwo 20-tonne steel arms on the launch tower catch the returning Super Heavy booster mid-air; eliminates landing legs, reduces booster weight, enables rapid relaunch
gavel
City of Starbase — Incorporated 2025SpaceX employees voted to incorporate the community surrounding the facility as the City of Starbase; first-of-its-kind company-affiliated municipality in the US

Image Gallery

Starbase launch site aerial viewMechazilla tower at StarbaseSuper Heavy on the orbital launch mountStarbase high bay ring stacking

PROPULSION SYSTEMS

The Engines Behind SpaceX

Every SpaceX rocket is powered by engines developed entirely in-house. From the reliable Merlin 1D that has launched hundreds of times, to the sea-level and vacuum Raptor 2 that powers Starship, SpaceX's vertical integration of propulsion design gives it a competitive and technical edge unlike any other launch provider.

Turbopump Throat Regen. Cooling

Merlin 1D

Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy

  • CycleGas-generator
  • PropellantsLOX / RP-1
  • Thrust (vac)934 kN
  • Thrust (SL)845 kN
  • Isp (vac)311 s
  • Isp (SL)282 s
  • Throttle39–100%
  • RestartableYes (MVac)
  • Mass~470 kg
  • StatusOperational
Preburners OX PB F PB Throat

Raptor 2

Starship / Super Heavy

  • CycleFull-flow staged combustion
  • PropellantsLOX / LCH₄
  • Thrust (vac)~230 t (2,258 kN)
  • Thrust (SL)~185 t (1,815 kN)
  • Isp (vac)~380 s
  • Isp (SL)~327 s
  • Chamber Pressure300+ bar
  • Throttle40–106%
  • VariantsSL · Vacuum · Boost
  • StatusOperational
Turbopump Throat 165:1 Expansion

Merlin Vacuum

Falcon 9 · Falcon Heavy — 2nd Stage

  • CycleGas-generator
  • PropellantsLOX / RP-1
  • Thrust (vac)934 kN
  • Isp (vac)348 s
  • Expansion Ratio165:1
  • RestartableYes — multi-burn
  • Nozzle MaterialNiobium alloy
  • StatusOperational
OX PB F PB Throat 200:1 Expansion

Raptor Vacuum

Starship Upper Stage — 3× vac engines

  • CycleFull-flow staged combustion
  • PropellantsLOX / LCH₄
  • Thrust (vac)~250 t (2,452 kN)
  • Isp (vac)~380 s
  • Expansion Ratio~200:1
  • Nozzle Dia.~2.4 m
  • RestartableYes
  • StatusFlight testing
Pressure-fed Throat Ablative Nozzle

Kestrel

Falcon 1 — 2nd Stage (retired)

  • CyclePressure-fed
  • PropellantsLOX / RP-1
  • Thrust (vac)31 kN
  • Isp (vac)327 s
  • RestartableYes
  • NozzleAblative / regen
  • Launches5 (Falcon 1)
  • StatusRetired 2009
Injector Plate Throat 3D Printed Inconel Body

SuperDraco

Dragon 2 — Launch Escape & Propulsion

  • CyclePressure-fed
  • PropellantsNTO / MMH
  • Thrust71 kN (×8 on Dragon)
  • Total Escape Thrust567 kN
  • ThrottleableYes — 20–100%
  • Manufacturing3D printed Inconel
  • RoleLaunch Escape System
  • StatusOperational

Inspired by What's Possible?

We build AI systems with the same first-principles rigour and relentless iteration that SpaceX brings to propulsion. Let's talk about what we can build together.

rocket_launchStart a Discovery Call