FALCON

USER’S
GUIDE
SEPTEMBER 2021

© Space Exploration Technologies Corp. All rights reserved.

 FALCON USER’S GUIDE

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 USER’S GUIDE PURPOSE

The Falcon launch vehicle user's guide is a planning document provided for customers of SpaceX (Space Exploration
Technologies Corp.). This document is applicable to the Falcon vehicle configurations with a 5.2 m (17-ft) diameter
fairing and the related launch service (Section 2).

This user's guide is intended for pre-contract mission planning and for understanding SpaceX's standard services.
The user's guide is not intended for detailed design use. Data for detailed design purposes will be exchanged directly
between a SpaceX customer and a SpaceX mission manager.

1.2 COMPANY DESCRIPTION

SpaceX offers a family of launch vehicles that improves launch reliability and increases access to space. The
company was founded on the philosophy that simplicity, reliability and cost effectiveness are closely connected. We
approach all elements of launch services with a focus on simplicity to both increase reliability and lower cost. The
SpaceX corporate structure is flat and business processes are lean, resulting in fast decision-making and product
delivery. SpaceX products are designed to require low-infrastructure facilities with little overhead, while vehicle design
teams are co-located with production and quality assurance staff to tighten the critical feedback loop. The result is
highly reliable and producible launch vehicles with quality embedded throughout the process.

Established in 2002 by Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, PayPal and the Zip2 Corporation, SpaceX has
developed and flown the Falcon 1 light-lift launch vehicle, the Falcon 9 medium-lift launch vehicle, the Falcon Heavy
heavy-lift launch vehicle, the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two, and Dragon, which is the
first commercially produced spacecraft to visit the International Space Station.

SpaceX has built a launch manifest that includes a broad array of commercial, government and international
customers. In 2008, NASA selected the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for the International
Space Station Cargo Resupply Services contract. NASA has also awarded SpaceX contracts to develop the
capability to transport astronauts to space as well as to launch scientific satellites. SpaceX's first crewed test flight
with the Crew Dragon spacecraft launched in May 2020, carrying NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert
Behnken to the International Space Station and safely returning them to Earth two months later. NASA has certified
the Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon system for human spaceflight, and SpaceX is providing operational missions to the
International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program, as well providing the capability to launch
commercial astronauts to space. In addition, SpaceX services the National Security community and is on contract with
the U.S. Space Force for multiple missions on the Falcon family of launch vehicles.

SpaceX has state-of-the-art production, testing, launch and operations facilities. SpaceX design and manufacturing
facilities are conveniently located near the Los Angeles International Airport. This location allows the company to
leverage Southern California's rich aerospace talent pool. The company also operates cutting-edge propulsion and
structural test facilities in Central Texas, along with launch sites in Florida and California, and a commercial orbital
launch site in development in South Texas.

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 FALCON USER’S GUIDE

1.3 FALCON PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Drawing on a history of prior launch vehicle and engine programs, SpaceX privately developed the Falcon family of
launch vehicles. Component developments include first- and second-stage engines, cryogenic tank structures,
avionics, guidance and control software, and ground support equipment.

With the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, SpaceX is able to offer a full spectrum of medium- and heavy-
lift launch capabilities to its customers (Figure 1-1), as well as small and micro satellite launch capabilities via its
Rideshare Program. SpaceX currently operates Falcon launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
(CCSFS), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) and can deliver payloads to a
wide range of inclinations and altitudes, from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to escape
trajectories for interplanetary missions.

Figure 1-1: SpaceX vehicles are designed for high cross-platform commonality

The Falcon family has conducted successful flights to the International Space Station (ISS), LEO, highly elliptical orbit
(HEO), GTO, and Earth-escape trajectories. As of the end of 2020, SpaceX has completed over 100 Falcon
launches, making it the most flown U.S. launch vehicle currently in operation.

Reusability is an integral part of the Falcon program. SpaceX pioneered reusability with the first re-flight of an orbital
class rocket in 2017. As of August 2021, SpaceX has re-flown rockets more than 65 times, with a 100% success rate.
Since 2018, SpaceX had more missions launching with a flight-proven rocket than a first flight rocket. SpaceX also
started re-flying fairings in late 2019, and as of the end of 2020 has re-flown more than 40 fairing halves with a 100%
success rate. By re-flying boosters and fairings, SpaceX increases reliability and improves its designs and
procedures by servicing and inspecting hardware as well as incorporating lessons that can only be learned from
flight.

1.4 FALCON LAUNCH VEHICLE SAFETY

The Falcon launch vehicles were designed from the beginning to meet NASA human-rated safety margins. We
continue to push the limits of rocket technology as we design the safest crew transportation system ever flown while
simultaneously advancing toward fully reusable launch vehicles. Our emphasis on safety has led to advancements
such as increased structural factors of safety, greater redundancy and rigorous fault mitigation. Because SpaceX
produces one Falcon core vehicle, satellite customers benefit from the high design standards required to safely
transport crew. The major safety features are listed in more detail in Table 1-1.

© Space Exploration Technologies Corp. All rights reserved. 2

 FALCON USER’S GUIDE

Table 1-1: Key safety features of Falcon launch vehicles

Design/Operations Feature Safety Benefit

Designed to NASA human-rating margins and safety Improves reliability for payloads without crew through
requirements increased factors of safety, redundancy and fault
mitigation
Horizontal manufacturing, processing and integration Reduces work at height during numerous
manufacturing, processing and integration procedures,
and eliminates many overhead operations
All-liquid propulsion architecture; fuel and oxidizer are Significantly improves safety by eliminating hazardous
stored separately on the ground and in the vehicle. ground handling operations required for systems that
Propellant is not loaded into the vehicle until the vehicle use solid propellant cores or boosters
is erected for launch
Rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen as primary Reduces health hazards to processing, integration, and
propellants recovery personnel compared to systems that use high
toxicity primary propellants
Non-explosive, pneumatic release and separation Zero-debris separation systems significantly reduce
systems for stage separation and standard payload orbital debris signature, can be repeatedly tested during
fairing separation the manufacturing process, and eliminate hazardous
pyrotechnic devices
Regular hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) software testing Complete verification of entire mission profile prior to flight

1.5 FALCON RELIABILITY

A study1 by The Aerospace Corporation found that 91% of known launch vehicle failures in the previous two decades
can be attributed to three causes: engine, avionics, and stage separation failures. With this in mind, SpaceX
incorporated key engine, avionics, and staging reliability features for high reliability at the architectural level of Falcon
launch vehicles. Significant contributors to reliability include:

1.5.1 ENGINES
As of the end of 2020, the Merlin engine that powers the Falcon family of launch vehicles is the only new hydrocarbon
engine to be successfully developed and flown in the U.S. in the past 40 years. It has the highest thrust-weight ratio
of any boost engine ever made. The liquid-propelled Merlin powers the Falcon propulsion system. The engine
features a reliable turbopump design with a single shaft for the liquid oxygen pump, the fuel pump, and the turbine.
The engine uses a gas generator cycle instead of the more complex staged combustion cycle. The regeneratively
cooled nozzle and thrust chamber use a milled copper alloy liner that provides large heat flux margins. A pintle
injector provides inherent combustion stability.

Engine failure modes are minimized by eliminating separate subsystems where appropriate. For example, the first-
stage thrust vector control system pulls from the high-pressure rocket-grade kerosene system, rather than using a
separate hydraulic fluid and pressurization system. Using fuel as the hydraulic fluid eliminates potential failures
associated with a separate hydraulic system and with the depletion of hydraulic fluid.

The high-volume engine production required to fly 10 Merlin engines (Falcon 9) or 28 engines (Falcon Heavy) on
every launch results in high product quality and repeatability through process control and continuous production.
Flying several engines on each mission also quickly builds substantial engineering data and flight heritage.

_________________________

1
Chang, I-Shih. “Space Launch Vehicle Reliability," Aerospace Corporation Publication (2001).

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 FALCON USER’S GUIDE

During Falcon launch operations, the first stage is held on the ground after engine ignition while automated monitors
confirm nominal engine operation. An autonomous safe shutdown is performed if any off-nominal condition is detected.
Hold-on-pad operations, enabled by the launch vehicle's all-liquid propulsion architecture and autonomous countdown
sequence, significantly reduce risks associated with engine start-up failures and underperformance.

By employing multiple first-stage engines, SpaceX offers the world's first evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV)-
class system with engine-out capability through much of first-stage flight. System-level vehicle management software
controls the shutdown of engines in response to off-nominal engine indications; this has been demonstrated in flight,
with 100% primary mission success. Although the likelihood of catastrophic engine failure is low, and failing engines
are designed to be shut down prior to a catastrophic failure, each engine is housed within its own metal bay to isolate it
from neighboring engines.

The second-stage Merlin Vacuum engine uses a fixed, non-deploying expansion nozzle, eliminating potential failure
modes in nozzle extension.

1.5.2 AVIONICS
Falcon launch vehicle avionics, and guidance, navigation and control systems use a fault-tolerant architecture that
provides full vehicle single-fault tolerance and uses modern computing and networking technology to improve
performance and reliability. The fault tolerance is achieved either by isolating compartments within avionics boxes or
by using triplicated units of specific components. Both the first and second stages host their own multiple redundant
lithium-ion batteries to minimize the complexity of the electrical interface.

1.5.3 STAGING ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

The two-stage Falcon 9 architecture was selected to minimize the number of stage separation events, eliminating
potential failure modes associated with third- and fourth-stage separations, as well as potential engine deployment and
ignition failure modes in the third and fourth stages. Falcon Heavy uses the same stage architecture as Falcon 9 with
the addition of two separating side cores.

The Falcon second-stage and Falcon Heavy side-boosters restraint, release, and separation systems use pneumatic
devices that provide low-shock release and positive force separation over a comparatively long stroke. The
pneumatic system allows for acceptance and functional testing of the actual flight hardware, which is not possible with
a traditional explosives-based separation system.

For each Falcon launch vehicle, SpaceX performs an exhaustive series of tests from the component to the vehicle
system level. The test program includes component-level flight acceptance and workmanship testing, structures load
and proof testing, flight system and propulsion subsystem-level testing, and full first- and second-stage testing up to full
system testing (including first- and second-stage static fire testing). In addition to testing environmental extremes (plus
margin), flight critical and workmanship sensitive hardware are tested to account for off-nominal conditions. For
example, stage separation tests are performed for off-nominal cases with respect to geometrical misalignment,
anomalous timing and sequencing.

The Falcon first stage is designed to survive atmospheric entry and to be recovered, handling both the rigors of the
ascent portion of the mission and the loads of the recovery portion. Stage recoverability also provides a unique
opportunity to examine recovered hardware and assess design and material selection in order to continually improve
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

© Space Exploration Technologies Corp. All rights reserved. 4

2 VEHICLES
Descriptions and performance information in this user's guide are for the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy fairing
configuration; please contact SpaceX for information about Dragon launch capabilities. Table 2-1 provides additional
details on Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy dimensions and design characteristics.

2.1 FALCON VEHICLE OVERVIEW

Falcon 9 (Figure 2-1) is a two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid
oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1). The vehicle is
designed, built and operated by SpaceX. Falcon 9 can be flown with a
fairing or with a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. All first- and second-stage
vehicle systems are the same in the two configurations; only the
payload interface to the second stage changes between the fairing and
Dragon configurations.

Figure 2-1: Falcon 9 overview

© Space Exploration Technologies Corp. All rights reserved. 6