SpaceX’s first successful orbital rocket launch vehicle was Falcon 1.
Falcon 1 was a small, two-stage rocket developed by SpaceX for launching satellites into low Earth orbit. Its first three launch attempts, beginning in 2006, failed, creating serious financial and operational pressure for the young company.
The fourth Falcon 1 launch succeeded on September 28, 2008. It carried a dummy payload and made SpaceX the first privately developed, liquid-fueled rocket company to successfully reach orbit.
Falcon 1’s success helped secure SpaceX’s future and supported the development of the larger Falcon 9. Falcon 9 later became the company’s principal orbital launch vehicle. The two rockets are sometimes confused because both use the Falcon name and Merlin engines, but Falcon 1 was the earlier and much smaller design.