Merlin
FieldedEngine
Merlin family powers first and second stages, with sea-level and vacuum variants.
Link Confirmed
Launch vehicle · Space
Falcon 9
SpaceX orbital launch vehicle powered by the Merlin engine family.
by SpaceX · Unveiled Sep 8, 2005
FieldedLaunch vehicleSpaceFirst flightJun 4, 2010
new.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9- Milestones2
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- Components1
- Programs—
- Capabilities1
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Milestones20052010
Timeline2
- UnveiledConfirmed
SpaceX announces Falcon 9
SpaceX publicly announced the Falcon 9 launch vehicle in a September 8, 2005 press release, describing it as an upgrade of the planned Falcon 5. Falcon 5 is treated as a separate design, not a designation the product kept.
- First flightConfirmed
Falcon 9 inaugural launch
The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Cost to the Government
- Contract unit priceEstimated$88.9M18 units
NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 task orders (Jul 2026): $1.6B (rounded) for 18 Falcon 9 launches; $1,600,000,000 / 18 = $88.9M per launch (division by us).
Source
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.