NASA certifies that Falcon 9 will be equipped with its most important spacecraft

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket does not have an impeccable record. In recent years, SpaceX has lost one vehicle on the launch pad and another has broken down en route to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX, however, is on the rise as it is approaching nearly three dozen successful Falcon 9 launches. The company is also in the process of obtaining certification to transport astronauts to the ISS. NASA has equipped the SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle with its highest category 3 launch certification. This means that SpaceX can launch the agency's most important missions.

The Falcon 9 began as a typical expendable rocket, but SpaceX has worked to improve its reliability over the years. Now, it is common for SpaceX to land the first-stage booster after sending a payload into orbit. This has made its smaller mission launches extremely efficient, but the rocket can still operate in extensible mode for heavier payloads. This would probably be the case for any Category 3 launch.

NASA uses four different space vehicle clbadifications across the three launch certifications. Clbad D is an inexpensive and potentially replaceable mission. NASA will use these engines in anything that has an engine, even if it has never been launched before. These vehicles belong to category 1. Clbad C space vehicles are those that are quite complex and difficult to replace but are not essential to NASA's objectives. These missions may be launched on Category 2 rockets that have already flown and obtained a NASA Engineering Certificate. That's where it used to be the Falcon 9.

The SpaceX Falcon 9

Under Category 3 Certification, SpaceX Can Launch a Spacecraft NASA Clbad A and B. It is expensive and extremely complex missions that the agency can not afford to lose in a fireball. It was Clbad A, as was the future Webb Space Telescope and the March 2020 rover. Just because NASA decided to launch important missions did not mean that the Falcon 9 would not do it. The Falcon 9 regularly sends payloads into a low Earth orbit, but some Clbad A spacecraft may require more power than the Falcon 9 can offer. We hope that the Falcon Heavy will be able to intervene.

The Falcon Heavy is based on the design of the Falcon 9 – it uses three modified Falcon 9 stages attached together. NASA requires at least three successful launches in addition to a thorough validation of the design. The Falcon Heavy has a test flight under its belt (early 2018) and two commercial launches are planned for 2019. This could allow the rocket to obtain a category 3 certification. SpaceX does not hesitate however, not consider moving all of its launches to more versatile BFRs in the future.

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