Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 Block 5 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. It is the fifth major version of the Falcon 9 family and the third version of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust, powered by Merlin 1D engines burning rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen. Its main changes from the original Full Thrust are higher-thrust engines and improved landing legs, along with many small changes that streamline recovery and reuse of boosters and fairing halves and raise the production rate. Each booster is designed to fly ten times with minor maintenance and potentially up to a hundred times with periodic refurbishment. Block 5 succeeded the transitional Block 4 version in 2018, its maiden flight launching the Bangabandhu-1 satellite on May 11, 2018, and its upgrades were driven by the needs of NASA's Commercial Crew program.