$1,400 Per Pound to Orbit

SpaceX announced the Falcon 9 today, a 9-engine fully reusable medium-to-heavy lift launch vehicle, with capacity from 25,000 to 55,000 lbs.  The price quoted is $78 million per launch with a 17 foot fairing in the heavy configuration, or about $1,400 per pound.  The price includes range fees and third-party insurance, which is a different setup than announced for the Falcon I, which was $5.9 million plus unspecified range and third-party insurance costs.

The timeframe for maiden launch is not mentioned in the press release, but it is given as the second quarter of 2007 on the SpaceX web site.  The maiden launch has already been sold to a US government customer.  The announcement of the Falcon IX is surprising, but the first sale is not, considering that the price for the Falcon IX is about 1/3rd of its closest American competition.  This launcher has a host of other potential customers.  Bigelow Aerospace has already moved its first flight to the Falcon IX from the Falcon V.  It is expected to launch in 2008.

Good luck to SpaceX, as the maiden flight for the Falcon I is scheduled for late September or early October from the Marshall Islands.

Comments

[Juan Suros]

Think about the potential uses for these Falcon vehicles.

I can't help but notice that the Falcon 9-S5 could lift a kliper into LEO (I assume this means space station). The payload mass is almost exactly right for this sort of mission. I wonder if this is what SpaceX was thinking about for this configuration.

The Russians are already talking about launching Klipers from Kourou, so launching one from Kwajalein on an american rocket seems within the realm of physics, at least, if not politics.

Notice the Falcon 9-S9 can lift a little more than the current maximum rated lift capacity of the shuttle (24,400kg) and can be launched into polar, space station, or equatorial orbits. I assume this is a poke in the eye of NASA. If not, it may be a veiled offer to deliver the remaining space station modules at a bargain price, in direct competition to the CEV cargo variants.

[Harlenar Jones]

Mr. Suros:

Some space station modules could not be delivered by the F9-S9 despite its Shuttle-equivalent lift capacity because the payload bay of the shuttle better supports the modules during launch, and the additional support structure required inside the fairing of an F9-S9 would increase the weight past maximum capacity.