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
Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40)
NROL-69 will launch from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. SLC-40 was the first of two complexes built to support the Titan III series of launch vehicles. A total of 55 Titan III and Titan IV missions were launched between 1963 and 2005. In 2007, SLC-40 was leased to SpaceX and was refurbished to accommodate the Falcon 9 rocket. Modifications include a new hangar on the pad to support Falcon 9 launches, new launch mount, a mobile Transporter/Erector system, and support equipment. The maiden flight of Falcon 9 from SLC-40 lifted off in June 2010, and fifteen years later, SLC-40 remains an active launch location for SpaceX missions.