Falcon Rocket Family, Path Creator for Recyclable Rockets

The space has always been an object of interest and learning for people around the globe. The thirst for knowledge and overpowering our enemy has led to a lot of space exploration agencies being set up. Both government and private sector is flourishing well in this field with their high end technologies. Their race to achieve greater heights has made the world accustomed with some highly advanced technologies of rockets used for launch purposes.

FALCON-

The falcon rocket series is the most famous and high end rocket series present in the world today. It is owned by the Space Exploration Technologies(SpaceX). The falcon rocket series has opened the gateway to recycling of launch vehicles. The falcon series consists of the following four classes:-

1. Falcon 1-

This was the first rocket developed by the SpaceX for placing payload into the lower earth orbit. This rocket served as the base model for the current falcon 9 rockets. These rockets had a number of unsuccessful flights. The first flight was on 26 March,2006 which failed just seconds later of its launch. This continued till its fourth launch on 28 September, 2008 when it reached the orbit for the first time. In its next flight it took payload and placed them in the orbits successfully. It had initial thrust of 318 kN and a payload of 570 kg to the lower Earth orbit(LEO).

2. Falcon 9v1.0-

This model was the beginning stage of the current model of falcon 9 being used. The falcon 9v1.0 was developed in 2005-2010 and made five launches in 2010-2013. This model was also retired soon. It had an initial thrust of 4900 kN and could carry a payload of 10,450 kg to LEO and 4540 kg to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

3. Falcon 9v1.1-

With the launch of this rocket the SpaceX had paved a way for the recycle of launch vehicles. The falcon 9v1.1 was developed in 2010-2013 and made its first flight in September 2013. This rocket was equipped with nine Merlin engines and generated 60 percent more thrust than the previous models. The first launch of the falcon 9v1.1 named Dragon was unsuccessful. The second launch of the Dragon was successful and the Dragon after making 2 rounds of the Earth landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, all ready for reuse. This made SpaceX the first private organisation to launch,orbit and recover a spacecraft. It had a thrust of 5885 kN and could carry a payload of 13,150 kg to LEO and 4850 kg to GTO.

4. Falcon 9v1.2-

This is the current model of falcon 9 series being used. It is also named as 'Full Thrust'. This is the advanced  version of the previous models. The first stage has a larger oxygen fuel tank which is loaded with subcooled propellants to allow more fuel in the same tank. The second stage also has been upgraded for better fuel consumption. This has made a drastic difference in the performance of these launch vehicles. About 33% increase has been found compared to previous versions. It has an initial thrust of 6804 kN and can carry a payload of 22,800 kg to LEO and 8300 kg to GTO.

5. Falcon Heavy-

This is most latest version of the falcon series. This spacecraft is a super heavy one. The Falcon Heavy has a reinforced center core and two additional side boosters. These boosters add to the thrust developed by the spacecraft and help in taking greater payload. It had a successful launch on 6 February,2018 carrying a Tesla Roadster as payload to the Mars orbit. It has an initial thrust of 22,819 kN and can carry a payload of 63,800 kg to LEO and 26,700 kg to GTO.

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