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

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

  2. How the ISS Will Be Destroyed at Point Nemo in 2030

    DocumentaryThe B1M · 32:29

    Mission: International Space Station deorbit

  3. Thomas Pesquet’s Mission Alpha: Six Months Aboard the ISS

    DocumentaryFree Documentary – Space · 51:20

    Mission: Crew-2 (2021)

  6. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    DocumentaryClassic Aerospace History · 1:13:57

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

    Vehicle explainerEveryday Astronaut · 15:22

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

    Launch coverageEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 43:30

    Mission: Crew-12

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

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 24:16

    Mission: Space Development Agency Tranche 0 (second mission) (2023)

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

    Launch coverageNASA · 1:42:26

    Mission: SpaceX CRS-35 (2026)

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

    Launch coverageNASA · 49:17

    Mission: SpaceX CRS-35 (2026)

  12. Cygnus XL Departs the ISS: Release, Burn and Re-entry Plan

    Launch coverageNASA · 42:07

    Mission: Northrop Grumman CRS-24 (2026)

  13. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Re-Entry & Splashdown

    Launch coverageNASA · 2:19:07

    Mission: Crew-12

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

    Launch coverageNASA · 4:32:18

    Mission: SpaceX Crew-13 (2026)

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

    Press briefingNASA · 50:43

    Mission: Crew-13 (2026)

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

    Launch coverageNASA · 2:23:32

    Mission: Crew-13 (2026)

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

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 37:45

    Mission: Crew-6 (2023)

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

    Launch coverageEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 2:17:40

    Mission: Crew-12

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

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 45:28

    Mission: ORBCOMM-2 (2015)

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

    DocumentaryNational Geographic · 44:25

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

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 3:38

    Mission: Falcon 9 Orbcomm OG2 Flight 2 (2015)

Related topics

Follow a program, a vehicle, a destination, an agency or a kind of mission.

Vehicle