Falcon 1 Reaches Orbit (4th Attempt)
After 3 failures and near-bankruptcy, SpaceX becomes the first private company to orbit Earth with a liquid-fueled rocket.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →On September 28, 2008, SpaceX's Falcon 1 successfully reached orbit on its fourth attempt. The company was weeks away from bankruptcy after three consecutive launch failures. Elon Musk had invested his last $100 million. This single success saved the company, secured a $1.6 billion NASA contract, and proved that a private startup could compete with nation-states in orbital rocketry.
Key Numbers
- Attempts
- 4 (3 failures)
- Cost/Launch
- ~$7 Million
- Status
- 1st private liquid-fuel orbit
Verified Facts
- The first three Falcon 1 launches all failed: engine fire (2006), roll oscillation (2007), and stage separation collision (Aug 2008).
- SpaceX had enough funding for exactly one more attempt. If Flight 4 had failed, the company would have shut down.
- The successful orbit directly led to a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract for the Falcon 9.
- Falcon 1 reached orbit for a fraction of the cost of comparable rockets—approximately $7 million per launch.