The One Failure That Changed SpaceX Forever

The first three SpaceX launches all crashed and burned, according to the New York Times. In 2017, during the International Astronautical Congress, Elon Musk recalled these failures as emotional break-or-make moments. “Falcon 1 is where it all started…it started out with just a few people who really did not know how to make rockets,” Musk said. But the company had a vision. The Falcon 1 was to be a revolutionary rocket because it would be able to provide the world’s lowest-cost access to orbit and space (via Space). This vision for low-cost and increased access to space would define SpaceX throughout all its years of operations, even as it pushed deeper into space.

But, just how dangerous were the first failures? The first Falcon 1 failed launches put the company in a near-bankruptcy stage. During his speech at the 2017 event, Musk explained that the fourth launch was critical for the company. After three failed attempts, SpaceX was running out of cash and it had one shot left for success. If the fourth launch had failed, SpaceX would probably not exist today.

There are many things SpaceX learned from the first three catastrophic launches, but the major difference between those three missions and the fourth one was the engine. NASA explains that the first Falcon 1 missions were powered by an in-house SpaceX-built engine called the Merlin 1A. But the fourth mission, launched in 2008, used an upgraded Merlin 1C engine. SpaceX reached orbit with the fourth Falcon 1 mission and remained above water to live another day.