History of SpaceX launch vehicles in Timeline

SpaceX designs, manufactures, and operates launch vehicles, including the Falcon 9 Block 5 and Falcon Heavy, both partially reusable thanks to VTVL technology and Merlin engines. These vehicles support SpaceX's launch services and exploration goals. Currently, SpaceX is developing Starship, a fully reusable launch system intended to supersede the Falcon series and the Dragon spacecraft, representing the next generation of SpaceX's space transportation capabilities.

September 8, 2005: SpaceX announces development of Falcon 9

On September 8, 2005, SpaceX announced the development of the Falcon 9 rocket, which has nine Merlin engines in its first stage.

March 26, 2006: Falcon 1 maiden flight failure

On March 26, 2006, the Falcon 1's maiden flight failed only seconds after leaving the pad due to a fuel line rupture.

2006: Falcon 5 design

In 2006, SpaceX stated that the Falcon 5 was a Falcon 9 with four engines removed. Work on the Falcon 9 was also applicable to the Falcon 5.

2006: First Falcon 1 launch

In 2006, SpaceX's first launch vehicle, the Falcon 1, was launched from Omelek Island. The Falcon 1 was the first privately developed liquid fueled launch vehicle to be launched into orbit.

March 22, 2007: Second Falcon 1 flight failure

On March 22, 2007, the second Falcon 1 flight also ended in failure, due to a spin stabilization problem that automatically caused sensors to turn off the Kestrel 2nd-stage engine.

September 28, 2008: Falcon 1 successful launch

On September 28, 2008, the Falcon 1 succeeded in reaching orbit on its fourth attempt, becoming the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to do so.

November 22, 2008: Falcon 9 engine testing

On November 22, 2008, the stand at McGregor, Texas, tested the nine Merlin 1C engines of the Falcon 9, which deliver 770,000 pounds-force (3,400 kN) of thrust.

December 30, 2008: Falcon 9 integrated at Cape Canaveral

On December 30, 2008, the first Falcon 9 vehicle was integrated at Cape Canaveral.

2008: COTS Demo Flight 1 contract

In 2008, the original NASA contract called for the COTS Demo Flight 1 to occur the second quarter, but this flight was delayed several times, occurring at 15:43 GMT on December 8, 2010.

July 13, 2009: Falcon 1 successful commercial payload

On July 13, 2009, the Falcon 1 carried its first and only successful commercial payload into orbit on its fifth launch.

2009: Falcon 1 last launch

In 2009, the Falcon 1 had its last launch from Omelek Island. The Falcon 1e and Falcon 5 variants were planned but never developed.

January 2010: Postponement of Falcon 9 maiden flight

In January 2010, NASA was planning for a Falcon 9 flight; however the maiden flight was postponed several times.

June 4, 2010: Falcon 9 successful maiden flight

On June 4, 2010, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully reached orbit.

December 8, 2010: COTS Demo Flight 1

On December 8, 2010, at 15:43 GMT, the Falcon 9 vehicle had its second flight named COTS Demo Flight 1, which successfully deployed an operational Dragon spacecraft at 15:53 GMT. Dragon orbited the Earth twice, and then made a controlled reentry burn that put it on target for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.

2010: Falcon 9 v1.1 development

Falcon 9 v1.1 was developed in 2010-2013.

2010: First Falcon 9 v1.0 launch

In 2010, the Falcon 9 v1.0, using upgraded Merlin engines on both its stages, was first launched from Cape Canaveral as part of the United States Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.

2010: First launch of Falcon 9 v1.0

In 2010, the first version of the Falcon 9, Falcon 9 v1.0, flew its first orbital missions.

December 2011: Stratolaunch Systems contracts with SpaceX for Falcon 9 Air

In December 2011 Stratolaunch Systems announced that it would contract with SpaceX to develop an air-launched, multiple-stage launch vehicle, as a derivative of Falcon 9 technology, called the Falcon 9 Air, as part of the Stratolaunch project.

2011: Falcon 9 Air development

In 2011, Falcon 9 Air was under development by SpaceX and was to be carried to launch position and launch altitude by a Stratolaunch Systems carrier aircraft.

2011: Falcon 1e first launch planned

In 2011, the first launch of Falcon 1e was planned for mid-2011, but the Falcon 1 and Falcon 1e were withdrawn from the market due to limited demand.

September 2012: First flight of Grasshopper

Grasshopper began flight testing in September 2012 with a brief, three-second hop.

September 2012: First Grasshopper flight test

In September 2012, Grasshopper began flight testing with a brief, three-second hop.

November 2012: Second Grasshopper flight

In November 2012, the second Grasshopper flight consisted of an 8-second flight that took the testbed approximately 5.4 m (18 ft) off the ground.

November 27, 2012: Stratolaunch partners with Orbital Sciences Corporation

On November 27, 2012, Stratolaunch announced a partnership with Orbital Sciences Corporation for an air-launched vehicle study contract, effectively ending the development of the Falcon 9 Air with SpaceX.

December 2012: Third Grasshopper flight

In December 2012, the third Grasshopper flight was of 29 seconds duration, with extended hover under rocket engine power, in which it ascended to an altitude of 40 m (130 ft) before descending under rocket power to come to a successful vertical landing.

2012: Falcon 9 Air development

In 2012, Falcon 9 Air was under development by SpaceX and was to be carried to launch position and launch altitude by a Stratolaunch Systems carrier aircraft.

2012: SpaceX and Stratolaunch end contractual relationship

In 2012, SpaceX and Stratolaunch ended their contractual relationship. The reason was that the Stratolaunch launch vehicle design had departed significantly from the Falcon derivative vehicle envisioned by SpaceX and did not fit well with SpaceX's long-term strategic business model.

May 2013: Falcon 9 Air replaced by Orbital Sciences Pegasus II

In May 2013, the Falcon 9 Air was replaced in the Stratolaunch development plan by the Orbital Sciences Pegasus II air-launched rocket.

September 2013: Maiden flight of Falcon 9 v1.1

In September 2013, the Falcon 9 v1.1 made its maiden flight.

September 29, 2013: First flight of Falcon 9 v1.1

On September 29, 2013, the first flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 was from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying several payloads including Canada's CASSIOPE technology demonstration satellite.

October 7, 2013: Eighth and final Grasshopper test flight

On October 7, 2013, Grasshopper made its eighth and final test flight, flying to an altitude of 744 m (2,441 ft; 0.462 mi) before making its eighth successful vertical landing.

October 2013: Last of eight Grasshopper test flights

Between September 2012 and October 2013, the first VTVL flight test vehicle—Grasshopper, built on a Falcon 9 v1.0 first-stage tank—made a total of eight test flights. All eight flights were from the McGregor, Texas, test facility.

December 2013: SpaceX launches its first satellite to geostationary orbit

In December 2013, SpaceX launched its first satellite, SES-8, to geostationary orbit, beginning to offer competition to the European and Russian launch providers.

2013: SpaceX builds large manifest of over 50 launches

By late 2013, SpaceX built a large manifest of over 50 launches due to competitive pricing, with two-thirds of them for commercial customers exclusive of US government flights.

2013: Retirement of Falcon 9 v1.0

Falcon 9 v1.0 made five flights in 2010–2013, when it was retired.

2013: Merlin 1D rocket engines on Falcon 9 v1.1

In 2013, Propulsion for the Falcon 9 Air rocket was planned to be provided by four Merlin 1D rocket engines, engines that were also to be used in the Falcon 9 v1.1.

2013: Falcon 9 v1.1 series launch

In 2013, the Falcon 9 v1.0 was replaced by the Falcon 9 v1.1 series, which was also launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

2013: ULA maintains large annual subsidy needed to remain financially viable

In early 2013, United Launch Alliance (ULA) maintained that it required a large annual subsidy to remain financially viable, despite SpaceX offering competitive prices without receiving such a subsidy.

2014: Merlin 1D rocket engines on Falcon Heavy

In 2014, Propulsion for the Falcon 9 Air rocket was planned to be provided by four Merlin 1D rocket engines, engines that were also to be used on the Falcon Heavy.

2014: Falcon 1e Aluminum Lithium alloy in second stage

The Falcon 1e planned to use Aluminum Lithium alloy 2195 in the second stage, a change from the 2014 Aluminum used in the Falcon 1 second stages.

December 22, 2015: First use of Falcon 9 "Full Thrust" version

On December 22, 2015, the "Full Thrust" version of Falcon 9 was used for the first time for the ORBCOMM-2 launch at Cape Canaveral SLC-40 launch pad.

2015: Falcon 9 Full Thrust variant

In 2015, the Falcon 9 Full Thrust variant followed.

2015: First test flight of the carrier aircraft expected

In 2015, the first test flight of the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft was expected from Scaled Composites' facilities in Mojave, California, as part of a collaborative project involving SpaceX, Scaled Composites, and Dynetics.

2016: Falcon 9 Air first flight planned

In 2016, the first flight of Falcon 9 Air was notionally planned.

2016: First test launch of the rocket expected

In 2016, the first test launch of the Stratolaunch rocket was expected at the time the project was getting underway. Stratolaunch Systems was a collaborative project with subcontractors SpaceX, Scaled Composites, and Dynetics.

February 6, 2018: Falcon Heavy successful launch

On February 6, 2018, SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy, delivering a payload comprising Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster onto a trajectory reaching the orbit of Mars.

2018: Falcon Heavy variant launch

In 2018, the Falcon Heavy variant followed.

January 10, 2023: SpaceX had four rockets on launch pads and two Dragon 2s on orbit

On January 10, 2023, SpaceX had a rare coincidence of four rockets (all types of operational and under-development rockets) on all four of its orbital launch pads and two Dragon 2s (both types of Dragon 2s) on orbit.

2024: Starship development

As of 2024, SpaceX is developing the fully reusable Starship launch system, which is intended to replace Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon spacecraft.

2024: Projected availability of Ariane 6

In 2024, Ariane 6 is projected to be available, but SpaceX prices for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are much lower than the projected prices for Ariane 6.

May 2025: Starship launch statistics

As of May 2025, Starship has launched 9 times, with 4 successful flights and 5 failures.

2027: Artemis III scheduled with Starship HLS

In 2027, the crewed variant of Starship, the Starship Human Landing System, is scheduled to deliver astronauts to the Moon as part Artemis III program.