Functional schematic, not to scale. Configuration and recovery plans depend on the mission. Sources: SpaceX and Rocket Lab, linked below.
A reusable first stage
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is a two-stage vehicle for carrying people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Its first stage can be recovered and flown again. A particular mission’s recovery plan depends on that flight.
Read the mission as well as the vehicle
The rocket name identifies the vehicle; the mission describes the payload and destination. Open a launch to see its site, target, orbit and available coverage. Do not assume every Falcon 9 flight has the same deployment or landing sequence.
Find the next flight
The SpaceX schedule brings together the upcoming missions in Spacian’s available records. For previous flights, browse the dated launch archive. Recorded outcomes remain separate from scheduled targets.
Sources & further reading
SpaceX · Falcon 9 ↗Explanations are reviewed separately from the live mission schedule. Follow the linked provider for current mission-specific information.