Featured Image Source: Everyday Astronaut via YouTube

SpaceX is a leader in aerospace innovation. The company has designed and manufactured the world’s most advanced rockets, capable of launching payload to orbit and returning to Earth to be reused. Aerospace companies typically use expendable rockets, SpaceX engineers developed a rocket recovery system to reuse the first-stage booster of the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is the most flown operational rocket in the United States, it has flown 169 missions. SpaceX has landed orbital-class Falcon 9 first-stage boosters 123 times and reflown recovered boosters 99 times. As of today, the most a particular booster in SpaceX's Falcon 9 [Block 5] fleet has been reused is 12 times. The Falcon 9 is currently the only American launch vehicle capable of launching NASA crew and cargo to the International Space Station. To date, SpaceX has launched 26 people to outer space since it's debut crewed flight in 2020. 

The 229-feet-tall Falcon 9 is equipped with nine powerful Merlin 1D engines that are powered by a combination of rocket-grade kerosene, known as RP-1, and liquid oxygen, LOX. It is capable of producing over 1.7 million pounds of thrust upon lift off. The rocket’s second-stage (upper-stage), is powered by a single Merlin engine which can carry 25 tons of payload to low Earth orbit. In the vacuum of space, the Merlin produces over 1.8 million pounds of thrust.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk talked about SpaceX's Falcon 9 Merlin engines with Tim Dodd, known as Everyday Astronaut on YouTube. The science communicator is known for making complex rocket science understandable for the general public through in-depth educational videos. Musk admires Dodd's work and has invited him to SpaceX's facilities for in depth one-on-one interviews multiple times. Today, June 12, he released a 18-minute video of Musk explaining technical details of the Merlin engine. "Hear Elon Musk explain SpaceX's workhorse Merlin engine at the heart of their Falcon 9 rocket. We talk a lot about some of the early design decisions, especially with the early Merlin-1C. It's so fun to hear some of the why's of early SpaceX!" shared Dodd via Twitter. Watch the video below to learn more! 

Hear @elonmusk explain @SpaceX's workhorse Merlin engine at the heart of their Falcon 9 rocket. We talk a lot about some of the early design decisions, especially with the early Merlin-1C. It's so fun to hear some of the why's of early SpaceX! - https://t.co/JuecTUTHgj pic.twitter.com/o4CKJ2kEqJ

— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) June 12, 2022

VIDEO: Elon Musk explains SpaceX’s Merlin engine! 

Featured Image Source: Everyday Astronaut via YouTube