Launch Vehicle
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX
for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon
spacecraft into orbit.
Fairing
Made of a carbon composite material, the fairing protects satellites
on their way to orbit. The fairing is jettisoned approximately three
minutes into flight, and SpaceX continues to recover fairings for
reuse on future missions.
First Stage
Falcon 9’s first stage incorporates nine Merlin engines and
aluminum-lithium alloy tanks containing liquid oxygen and
rocketgrade kerosene (RP-1) propellant, generating more than 1.7
million pounds of thrust at sea level. After separation, the fist
stage will return to Landing Zone 4.
Interstage
The interstage is a composite structure that connects the first and
second stages, and houses the pneumatic pushers that allow the first
and second stage to separate during flight.
Grid fins: Falcon 9 is equipped with four hypersonic grid
fins positioned at the base of the interstage. They orient the
rocket during reentry by moving the center of pressure.
Second Stage
Powered by a single Merlin Vacuum Engine, the second stage delivers
Falcon 9’s payload to the desired orbit. The engine ignites a
few seconds after stage separation, and can be restarted several
times to place multiple payloads into different orbits.
Site Info
Nestled along California’s Central Coast, Vandenberg Space
Force Base hosts Space Launch Delta 30, a United States Space Force
command that provides agile, responsive, and resilient spaceport,
test range, and installation capabilities for the nation. As the
keystone of the Space Force’s West Coast Spaceport and Test
Range, Vandenberg enables launch and test activities that ensure the
Space Force and its mission partners, such as NRO, are able to
accomplish their strategic objectives into space.
Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E)
SLC-4E was formerly called PALC2-4 and previously used by Atlas and
Titan rockets between 1963 and 2005. It was built for use by
Atlas-Agena rockets, but was later rebuilt to handle Titan rockets.
The designation SLC-4E was applied at the time of the conversion to
launch Titans. SLC-4E is leased as a launch site for the Falcon 9
rocket, which first flew from VSFB on Sept. 29, 2013 following a
24-month refurbishment program, which had started in early 2011.