Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 Block 5
	Falcon 9 in its two configurations, with a Dragon 2 spacecraft (left) and payload fairing (right)
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	US$69.75 million (2024)
Size
Height	69.8 m (229 ft) with payload fairing; 65.7 m (216 ft) with Dragon 2;
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft)
Mass	549,000 kg (1,210,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination	28.5°
Mass	Expended: 22,800 kg (50,300 lb); Reusable: 18,500 kg (40,800 lb);
Payload to GTO
Orbital inclination	27°
Mass	Expended: 8,300 kg (18,300 lb); Reusable: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb);
Payload to TMI
Mass	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Falcon 9
Based on	Falcon 9 Full Thrust
Comparable	Ariane 5; Atlas V; Long March 3B/E; Proton-M;
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral, SLC-40; Kennedy, LC-39A; Vandenberg, SLC-4; Vandenberg, SLC-6 (planned);
Total launches	558
Success(es)	557
Failure	1 (Starlink Group 9‑3)
Landings	559 / 565 attempts
First flight	May 11, 2018 (Bangabandhu-1)
Last flight	March 14, 2026 (most recent)
Carries passengers or cargo	SpaceX Dragon; Starlink; OneWeb; Iridium NEXT; Transporter & Bandwagon; DART; Euclid; Galileo; GPS Block IIIA; IXPE; KPLO; Nova-C; PACE; Hera; WorldView Legion; O3b mPOWER; SPHEREx; PUNCH; IMAP; CGO;
First stage
Height	41.2 m (135 ft)
Powered by	9 × Merlin 1D
Maximum thrust	7,600 kN (1,700,000 lbf)
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
Second stage (standard)
Height	13.8 m (45 ft 3 in)
Powered by	1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum
Maximum thrust	934 kN (210,000 lbf)
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
Second stage (short nozzle)
Height	13.6 m (44 ft 7 in)
Powered by	1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum
Maximum thrust	840 kN (190,000 lbf)
Propellant	LOX / RP-1

Falcon 9 Block 5 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. It is the fifth major version of the Falcon 9 family and the third version of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust. It is powered by Merlin 1D engines burning rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX).

The main changes from Block 3 (the original Falcon 9 Full Thrust) to Block 5 are higher-thrust engines and improvements to the landing legs along with numerous other small changes to streamline recovery and re-use of first-stage boosters and fairing halves and increase the production rate. Each Block 5 booster is designed to fly ten times with only minor maintenance between launches and potentially up to 100 times with periodic refurbishment, while fairing halves have been recovered and reflown countless times.

In 2018, Block 5 succeeded the transitional Block 4 version. The maiden flight of the Block 5 launched the satellite Bangabandhu-1 on May 11, 2018. The CRS-15 mission on June 29, 2018, was the last to be launched on a Block 4 rocket, completing the transition to an all-Block 5 fleet.