Falcon 9 Launches And Orbit OpsLaunch Item

Falcon 1 first flight 20-year anniversary reflections

March 24, 2026Tom Mueller, Jack Beyer, ss

Multiple accounts mark 20 years since Falcon 1 Flight 1, using the early failure as a narrative anchor for SpaceX’s long-run iteration culture.

“Falcon 1, flight one. 20 years ago today. Can you believe it?”
“It looks like a beautiful flight until you look a little closer and see that the engine is on fire.”
“20 years ago, on March 24, 2006, SpaceX launched Falcon 1 for the first time.”
“The engine failed due to a fuel leak, and the rocket crashed back near the launch site, exploding on impact.”
“The first SpaceX orbital launch attempt was 20 years ago today.”
Falcon 1, flight one. 20 years ago today.
see that the engine is on fire.
Very short flight less than a minute up and back down to crash on the reef.
We learned a lot that day.
Tom Mueller
Jack Beyer
ss
Steve Jurvetson
historyiteration

See what experts are saying right now

This finding is one of many signals tracked across Space. The live feed updates every few hours with new expert voices, debates, and emerging ideas.

← Back to Space