Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

Falcon 9

A Falcon 9 rocket lifting off on the SES-9 mission.

Photo: SpaceX / CC0

Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s two-stage rocket, designed so the first stage can land and fly again. It first launched on 4 June 2010. In December 2015 a first stage landed upright for the first time, and individual boosters have since flown as many as 37 times. Both stages burn liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene in Merlin engines. In 2020 it became the first commercial rocket to carry people to orbit, and it launches the Dragon capsules to the International Space Station. A launch on this site is ORBCOMM-2. According to Wikipedia it has flown more often than any other active rocket.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. ORBCOMM-2: Falcon 9’s Return to Flight and First Land Landing

    SpaceX
  2. Falcon 9 Orbcomm Launch: 11 Satellites and a First Stage Landing

    SpaceX
  3. Falcon 9 Launches 56 Starlink Satellites on an 8th Booster Flight

    SpaceX
  4. Euclid Launch on Falcon 9: ESA’s Dark Universe Telescope Lifts Off

    SpaceX
  5. Falcon 9 Launches 48 Starlink Satellites on a 12th Booster Flight

    SpaceX
  6. Falcon 9 Flies Booster for a Record 16th Time on Starlink Launch

    SpaceX
  7. Falcon 9 Launches the Last 54 Starlink V1.5 Satellites from SLC-40

    SpaceX
  8. Falcon 9 Starlink 6-15: 10th Booster Flight After a T-5s Abort

    SpaceX
  9. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink V2 Minis on a Sixth-Flight Booster

    SpaceX
  10. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites on a 15th Booster Flight

    SpaceX
  11. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites on a Fourth Booster Flight

    SpaceX
  12. Falcon 9 Launches 15 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg in Fog

    SpaceX
  13. Falcon 9 Starlink Launch: 22 Satellites and a 13th Booster Landing

    SpaceX
  14. Crew-7 Launch: First Dragon Flight With Four Agencies Aboard

    SpaceX
  15. Crew-7 Dragon Endurance Rendezvous and Docking with the ISS

    SpaceX
  16. SDA Tranche 0 Launch: Falcon 9’s 13th Flight from Vandenberg

    SpaceX
  17. Crew-6 Dragon Endeavour Leaves the ISS After 184 Days in Orbit

    SpaceX
  18. How the ISS Works: Air, Cooling, Power and Debris Defence

    National Geographic
  19. Super Heavy’s 33 Raptors vs Saturn V’s Five F1 Engines Explained

    Curious Droid
  20. How the ISS Will Be Destroyed at Point Nemo in 2030

    The B1M
  21. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    Classic Aerospace History
  22. Thomas Pesquet’s Mission Alpha: Six Months Aboard the ISS

    Free Documentary – Space
  23. Tranche 1 Transport Layer C: Falcon 9 Lofts 21 Satellites

    Everyday Astronaut
  24. Starship HLS Update: 49 Milestones and a Simplified Artemis 3 Plan

    Everyday Astronaut
  25. How the Vandenberg Range Decides Launch Weather, Zones and Destruct

    Everyday Astronaut
  26. Zhuque-3 Landing, Roman Telescope Launch and SpaceX’s Louisiana Plan

    Scott Manley
  27. Crew-12 Pre-Departure Briefing: Spacewalks, Science and Going Home

    NASA
  28. Starship Ship 40: Towing a Floating Rocket Across the Indian Ocean

    SpaceX
  29. Why Starship V3’s Super Heavy Booster Has Only Three Grid Fins

    Everyday Astronaut
  30. Crew-13 Prelaunch Briefing: Dragon Valve Repair and a Fast ISS Trip

    NASA
  31. Crew-13 Postlaunch Briefing: Record Dragon Docking Pace to ISS

    NASA
  32. Crew-13 Launch Countdown: Dragon Grace Readies for the ISS

    NASA
  33. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Arrival & Welcome Remarks

    NASA
  34. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Dragon Freedom Undocking Step by Step

    European Space Agency, ESA
  35. Starship Flight 14 Reaches Orbit and Three Falcons Fly in One Day

    Scott Manley
  36. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Re-Entry & Splashdown

    NASA
  37. Crew-12 Return: Dragon Freedom Splashdown Off Los Angeles

    European Space Agency, ESA
  38. Cygnus XL Departs the ISS: Release, Burn and Re-entry Plan

    NASA
  39. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Dragon With Final Two ISS Solar Arrays

    NASA
  40. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Cargo Dragon With Final IROSA Arrays

    NASASpaceflight
  41. Starlink 15-25: Falcon 9 B1088 Launch and Landing at Vandenberg

    NASASpaceflight
  42. SpaceX CRS-35 Dragon Docks at the ISS Harmony Zenith Port

    NASA
  43. Bandwagon-5: Falcon 9 Rideshare Launch With Starfall Capsule

    NASASpaceflight
  44. Deep Space Updates: MMX to Phobos, Crew-12 Return, Neutron Delay

    Scott Manley
  45. Starship’s 33 Raptor Engines: Four Reasons Behind Super Heavy

    Celebrity Files
  46. Why Starship’s Heat Shield Uses Hexagonal Tiles and Full Reuse

    Farzad

Why Starship’s Heat Shield Uses Hexagonal Tiles and Full Reuse

Farzad

Duration 22:38

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Tranche 1 Transport Layer C: Falcon 9 Lofts 21 Satellites

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 1:30:52

    Mission: Tranche 1 Transport Layer C (2025)

  2. Starlink 15-25: Falcon 9 B1088 Launch and Landing at Vandenberg

    Launch coverageNASASpaceflight · 1:17:03

    Mission: Starlink 15-25 (2026)

  3. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Cargo Dragon With Final IROSA Arrays

    Launch coverageNASASpaceflight · 1:52:11

    Mission: CRS-35 (2026)

  4. Bandwagon-5: Falcon 9 Rideshare Launch With Starfall Capsule

    Launch coverageNASASpaceflight · 1:32:21

    Mission: Bandwagon-5 (2026)

  5. Falcon 9 Launches 56 Starlink Satellites on an 8th Booster Flight

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 19:45

    Mission: Starlink (2023)

  6. Falcon 9 Launches 48 Starlink Satellites on a 12th Booster Flight

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 18:50

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  7. Euclid Launch on Falcon 9: ESA’s Dark Universe Telescope Lifts Off

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 1:03:06

    Mission: Euclid (2023)

  8. Crew-7 Dragon Endurance Rendezvous and Docking with the ISS

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 2:25:50

    Mission: Crew-7 (2023)

  9. Falcon 9 Flies Booster for a Record 16th Time on Starlink Launch

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 20:20

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  10. Falcon 9 Launches the Last 54 Starlink V1.5 Satellites from SLC-40

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 18:46

    Mission: Starlink V1.5 (Falcon 9, 54 satellites) (2023)

  11. Falcon 9 Starlink 6-15: 10th Booster Flight After a T-5s Abort

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 18:50

    Mission: Starlink Group 6-15 (2023)

  12. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink V2 Minis on a Sixth-Flight Booster

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 18:45

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  13. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites on a 15th Booster Flight

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 19:35

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  14. Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites on a Fourth Booster Flight

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 18:26

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  15. Falcon 9 Launches 15 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg in Fog

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 19:25

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  16. Falcon 9 Starlink Launch: 22 Satellites and a 13th Booster Landing

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 19:55

    Mission: Starlink Mission (2023)

  17. Crew-7 Launch: First Dragon Flight With Four Agencies Aboard

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 1:34:30

    Mission: Crew-7 (2023)

  18. Crew-13 Prelaunch Briefing: Dragon Valve Repair and a Fast ISS Trip

    Press briefingNASA · 56:30

    Mission: Crew-13 (2026)