Falcon 1: stage collision on the third flight

On 3 August 2008 the Falcon 1 flew for the third time from Kwajalein, carrying the Trailblazer, NanoSail-D and PRESat satellites. It was the first flight of the regenerative Merlin 1C engine (a precursor of the Falcon 9 engine), which performed normally through the first two minutes. Residual thrust from the first stage after engine cutoff caused it to recontact the second stage during separation, and the vehicle was lost. SpaceX fixed the issue by lengthening the coast time between engine shutdown and stage separation.