X

SpaceX is about to come out of beta with final Falcon 9 rocket

Elon Musk's company launched a new era of reusable rockets. Now it's ready to launch the Block 5, which can be used more than twice, maybe up to 100 times.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
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Eric Mack
2 min read
SpaceX
Watch this: SpaceX's next rocket could be reused 100 times

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been in a sort of beta mode all these years, even after dozens of successful missions and pioneering the landing, recovery and reuse of first-stage orbital rockets. As soon as Thursday, the company may launch the final version of its Falcon 9 rocket for the first time.

This week's scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Bangladesh's Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will be the debut of the so-called Block 5 Falcon 9. 

SpaceX refers to the iteratively improved versions of the Falcon 9 by their block number. Most of the recent Falcon 9 rockets that have managed to land and then fly a second mission after reconditioning have been Block 3 or Block 4 (sometimes called "Full Thrust") rockets. Elon Musk has said that Block 5 represents the final upgrades to the Falcon 9, incorporating tweaks to make it more reusable while adding a little more power and minor improvements that provide more control on descent.

Up until now, the Falcon 9 rockets we've seen were really meant to fly just a few times and none of them have flown more than twice. SpaceX hopes that a Block 5 rocket will be able to launch 10 times in a row without needing major refurbishment. After 10 missions, it can be brought in, refurbished and sent out for 10 more flights. The plan is for this process to be repeatable up to a total lifespan of as many as 100 flights per rocket.

Block 5 is also the SpaceX rocket set to carry astronauts to the International Space Station as soon as later this year. But SpaceX will first need to carry out at least seven launches of the rocket before NASA will give the OK for astronauts to climb aboard.

The launch window for the first Block 5 Falcon 9 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday opens at 4:12 p.m. ET. Check back with us for information on how to watch the launch.

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