Falcon 9 Rocket | Aerospace Technology System

Space X is the first commercial company in history to visit the International Space Station. The company builds satellites, launchers and other products that are placed safely in space. One of its greatest products is the Falcon launch family of rockets.

Falcon 9 is a launchable rocket powered by liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene. Its third flight is the journey that allowed the company to reach the International Space Station.

The Falcon 9 measures 69.2 m or 227 ft in length and 3.6 m or 12 ft in width. Figure 9 is a rocket that can carry spacecraft into the atmosphere by launch.

Designed for maximum reliability, the Falcon 9 runs from two stages and tanks. The first tank is made from aluminum lithium alloy and uses an all-friction stir-welded tank of the highest strength and most reliable welding technique available. The interstage is a carbon fiber aluminum core composite structure, and connects the upper and lower stages.

The second stage tank is a similar, yet shorter version of the first tank, created with the same reliable materials and manufacturing. Since a single engine powers the upper stage of the  Falcon 9, it is made of dual redundant pyrophoric igniters.

The main engine of the Falcon 9 is the Space X Merlin engine. It has a very impressive Sea Level and Vacuum thrust. The system works by propellant feeding into a single shaft, as a dual impeller turbo-pump operating on a gas generator cycle. The pump provides high-pressure kerosene for the hydraulic actuators, which recycles. This eliminates the need for a separate hydraulic system, allowing for greater reliability.

The Merlin is one of the greatest and most powerful engines ever built. It outperforms even the Boeing Delta II’s main engine.

The best part of the Falcon 9 is its penchant for safety. It is not released for flight until all vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating on par. An automatic shut-off occurs if any irregular conditions are detected. This saves those going into space, and the vehicles themselves, from some of the unfortunate disasters various programs dealt with in the past.

You can get one of these pretty toys for $54 million.

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