SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket on 4 June 2010.
The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Its payload was a Dragon spacecraft qualification unit, and the flight marked the beginning of Falcon 9’s orbital launch career.
Falcon 9 v1.0 was powered by nine Merlin 1C engines on its first stage and one Merlin engine on its second stage. Unlike later Falcon 9 versions, this early model was not designed for routine booster recovery.
A common mix-up is confusing this date with 8 December 2010, when SpaceX first launched and recovered a Dragon spacecraft during the COTS Demo Flight 1 mission. The June launch was the first Falcon 9 flight itself, while the December mission demonstrated Dragon operations in orbit.