Falcon 1

launch vehicle

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July 17, 2026

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The Falcon 1 was the first rocket developed by SpaceX. It was a two-stage, liquid-fueled vehicle designed to launch small satellites into Earth's orbit. A key feature of the Falcon 1 was its lower cost of development and operation compared to its competitors, largely due to the use of SpaceX's proprietary Merlin engine. The Falcon 1 achieved its first successful orbit in 2008. It was later retired in favor of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.12

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Falcon
…family of three launch vehicles—Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy—built by the U.S. corporation SpaceX with funding from South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk.
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…family of three launch vehicles—Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy—built by the U.S. corporation SpaceX with funding from South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Read More

launch vehicle
United States
…consists of three launch vehicles—Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy—built by the U.S. corporation SpaceX with funding from South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk. Falcon 1 could place a 1,010-kg (2,227-pound) payload into orbit at a lower cost than other launch vehicles could partly because Falcon 1 uses…
Read More
…consists of three launch vehicles—Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy—built by the U.S. corporation SpaceX with funding from South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk. Falcon 1 could place a 1,010-kg (2,227-pound) payload into orbit at a lower cost than other launch vehicles could partly because Falcon 1 uses…
Read More

SpaceX
Founding and early development
…entered the arena with the Falcon 1 rocket, a two-stage liquid-fueled craft designed to send small satellites into orbit. The Falcon 1 was vastly cheaper to build and operate than its competitors, a field largely populated by spacecraft built by publicly owned and government-funded companies such as Lockheed Martin (LMT)…
Read More
…entered the arena with the Falcon 1 rocket, a two-stage liquid-fueled craft designed to send small satellites into orbit. The Falcon 1 was vastly cheaper to build and operate than its competitors, a field largely populated by spacecraft built by publicly owned and government-funded companies such as Lockheed Martin (LMT)…
Read More