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Which one of the following aerospace companies designed and manufactured 'Falcon 9', a reusable rocket?
Explanation
The Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX. It is recognized as the world's first orbital-class reusable rocket, capable of transporting people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. The rocket's design allows for the reflight of its most expensive components, specifically the first-stage booster, which can be reused over 10 times with minimal maintenance. SpaceX achieved a significant milestone in December 2015 by successfully landing a Falcon 9 booster back on Earth after an orbital launch [1]. This technology utilizes propulsive landing, where the first stage returns and lands vertically under its own power. While other companies like Blue Origin are developing reusable systems like New Glenn, the Falcon 9 remains the primary operational reusable launch vehicle in the commercial sector [1].
Sources
- [1] https://sma.nasa.gov/LaunchVehicle/assets/spacex-falcon-9-v1.2-data-sheet.pdf