The first SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Flight

Spacevidcast · June 6, 2010 · 11:31 · English · Launch

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Video from the channel Spacevidcast about Falcon 9, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 11:31. Language: English. Video type: Launch.

The mission

A recording of the broadcast of the maiden flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9, in June 2010. The launcher carried a Dragon capsule, and the flight served to test the rocket itself.

Sequence

In the final countdown, both stages are pressurized and the onboard computers take control. After liftoff, the rocket clears the tower and passes through the zone of maximum dynamic pressure. Main engine cutoff follows, along with a clean stage separation and ignition of the second stage's vacuum Merlin. The narration notes a piece coming off the nozzle skirt, which it describes as expected, and shows the radiatively-cooled nozzle glowing red-hot. A roll control actuator is also seen correcting the trajectory. The figures given along the way are about 3,500 m/s at 140 km altitude, 4,000 m/s at 189 km, nearly 5,000 m/s, and later 7,000 m/s.

Outcome

With second-stage engine cutoff, the stack with the Dragon reaches Earth orbit. Shortly after, the video feed is lost as the vehicle passes below the horizon as seen from the launch site.