# Falcon 9 Full Thrust

> third major version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle

**Wikidata**: [Q22808999](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22808999)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9_Full_Thrust)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/falcon-9-full-thrust

## Summary
Falcon 9 Full Thrust (also called Falcon 9 v1.2) is the third major version of SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 orbital rocket. First flown in December 2015 and retired in February 2018, it introduced higher-thrust engines and structural upgrades that enabled routine first-stage landings and marked the transition to SpaceX’s current Block-series Falcons.

## Key Facts
- Maiden flight: 22 Dec 2015 at 01:29 UTC
- Service retirement: 22 Feb 2018
- Replaced Falcon 9 v1.1 and was itself superseded by Falcon 9 Block 4
- Propulsion: 9 × sea-level Merlin 1D engines on the first stage, 1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum on the second stage
- Manufacturer: SpaceX (United States)
- Sub-class of: Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle
- Instance of: rocket model
- Sitelinks across 20 Wikipedia editions
- Commons category: Falcon 9 Full Thrust

## FAQs
### Q: What makes Falcon 9 Full Thrust different from Falcon 9 v1.1?
A: It up-rated the Merlin 1D engines to full-thrust performance, lengthened the second-stage fuel tank, added cryo-chiller helium bottles, and strengthened the airframe—changes that together enabled first-stage recovery and heavier payloads.

### Q: When did Falcon 9 Full Thrust fly for the first and last time?
A: The version debuted on 22 December 2015 and was retired after its final mission on 22 February 2018.

### Q: Did any Falcon 9 Full Thrust boosters survive for display?
A: Yes. B1019 is exhibited at SpaceX Headquarters, and B1035 is on display at Space Center Houston.

### Q: Is Falcon 9 Full Thrust still in service?
A: No. It was succeeded by Falcon 9 Block 4 and later Block 5 variants that incorporate further engine, thermal, and reusability improvements.

## Why It Matters
Falcon 9 Full Thrust closed the gap between expendable launch vehicles and economically reusable ones. By pushing the Merlin 1D to its full throttle rating and enlarging the second-stage tank, SpaceX gained the performance margin needed to attempt propulsive first-stage landings without sacrificing customer payloads. The December 2015 launch that inaugurated this version not only placed 11 Orbcomm-2 satellites into orbit but also achieved the first-ever successful return and vertical landing of an orbital-class rocket stage—a watershed moment for commercial spaceflight. Over the next 26 months the variant flew 23 more times, proving that used boosters could be inspected, refurbished, and reflown. Those demonstrations undercut global launch prices, forced competitors to rethink their business models, and laid the groundwork for SpaceX’s later Block 5 fleet and the Falcon Heavy. In short, Falcon 9 Full Thrust transformed reusability from experiment into routine practice.

## Notable For
- First version to land an orbital-class stage intact (B1019, Dec 2015)
- Introduced “Full Thrust” up-rated Merlin 1D engines still used today
- Bridge design between expendable Falcon 9 v1.1 and modern Block-series Falcons
- 100 % success rate over 24 flights (2015-2018)
- Several retired boosters converted into Falcon Heavy side cores (B1023, B1025)

## Body
### Development and Upgrades
SpaceX began converting Falcon 9 v1.1 vehicles to the Full Thrust standard in 2015. Key changes included:

- Deep-throttling Merlin 1D engines raised sea-level thrust about 15 %
- Second-stage tank stretched ~0.6 m, increasing propellant load
- Octaweb engine arrangement strengthened to handle higher loads
- Sub-cooled liquid-oxygen (SLIM-LOX) densification raised oxidizer mass
- Upgraded helium pressurization bottles and improved heat-shielding on the first stage

These modifications added roughly 30 % payload capability to low-Earth orbit compared with v1.1 while still reserving enough fuel for first-stage boost-back or droneship landings.

### Operational History
The variant’s inaugural mission on 22 December 2015 carried Orbcomm-OG2 satellites and achieved the first controlled return of a Falcon first stage to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Over the next two years Full Thrust vehicles launched commercial telecom satellites, Dragon cargo and crew test articles, and Iridium-NEXT spacecraft. Notable missions include:

- JCSAT-14 (May 2016) – first GTO launch followed by droneship landing
- CRS-8 (Apr 2016) – first Dragon berthing after stage landing
- Amos-6 pad anomaly (Sep 2016) – destroyed a Full Thrust vehicle during propellant loading, prompting design tweaks
- Formosat-5 / Sherpa (Aug 2017) – first launch from Vandenberg SLC-4E after pad rebuild

The final Full Thrust flight placed Paz (Spain) and Microsat-2a/b (Starlink prototypes) into polar orbit on 22 February 2018, after which SpaceX transitioned to Block 4 and then the current Block 5 line.

### Legacy Hardware
Several Full Thrust first stages avoided scrapping:

- B1019 – historic first landed booster, now displayed outside SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, CA
- B1021 – first booster reflown (Mar 2017), retired after two missions
- B1023 – converted to Falcon Heavy side booster, retired after the demo flight (Feb 2018)
- B1025 – also converted to Falcon Heavy side booster, retired same flight
- B1035 – twice-flown Iridium-NEXT booster, exhibited at Space Center Houston

These artifacts illustrate the rapid iteration path from expendable v1.1 through Full Thrust to the fully operational Block 5 fleet.

## Schema Markup
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  "name": "Falcon 9 Full Thrust",
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