Sylvie Willis
SpaceX's fuel usage depends on the type of rocket and the mission. For example, the Falcon 9 rocket uses liquid oxygen and refined kerosene (RP1), with the former making up more than two-thirds of the overall fuel load. The cost of filling up a Falcon 9 is around $150,000. SpaceX's Starship rocket, intended to take humans to Mars, uses methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, which can be produced on Mars. The Raptor engines on the Starship burn an oxygen-to-methane mixture ratio of about 3.6:1. During testing, SpaceX used a methane flare, but this contributed to global warming, so they started piping excess methane into a recondenser to be reused.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Methane, Kerosene, RP-1, liquid oxygen (LOX), nitrogen tetroxide, monomethyl hydrazine |
| Fuel cost | Around $150,000 for an entire Falcon 9 |
| Fuel source | Natural gas on the open market, SpaceX-owned/operated oil and gas wells, manufacturing methane using the Sabatier process |
| Fuel tank capacity | N/A |
| Fuel efficiency | N/A |
| Fuel consumption | Starship takes off with around 4500 tons of fuel, around 100-150 tons of which can reach orbit |
| Fuel waste | Nearly all of the fuel is used, except for the amount necessary to keep the fuel and oxidizer sumps covered |
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What You'll Learn
- SpaceX's Starship rocket uses methane and liquid oxygen
- The cost to fill a Falcon 9 is around $150,000
- SpaceX's fast launch cadence may interfere with sound judgement
- Nearly all the fuel is used, except for what's needed to cover sumps
- SpaceX's Falcon 9 has achieved 509 out of 512 full mission successes
SpaceX's Starship rocket uses methane and liquid oxygen
The choice of fuel mixtures in modern rocketry is carefully selected based on specific mission requirements. RP-1, a refined kerosene, combined with liquid oxygen (LOX), has been a classic and time-tested choice due to its high density and stability, making it relatively easy to store and handle. However, RP-1 doesn't burn completely, leading to the formation of soot and solid carbon deposits (coke) inside the engine, which reduces engine efficiency and reliability.
SpaceX's decision to use methane as fuel for the Starship rocket is part of the "'methane revolution' in spaceflight. Methane is advantageous because it burns more cleanly than RP-1, leaving no soot or solid carbon deposits. This improves engine performance and reduces maintenance requirements. The nearly transparent exhaust of methane-powered rockets like Starship contrasts with the bright, fiery glow of Falcon 9's exhaust, which is caused by white-hot particles of coke.
The use of methane also enables full reusability, which is crucial for cost reduction. Additionally, methane can be found on Mars in the Martian atmosphere, and oxygen can be obtained from subsurface ice. This means that fuel can be produced on Mars, significantly reducing the overall cost of space travel to and from the planet. However, the combustion of methane creates CO2, which cannot be captured from a rocket, and there is currently no cost-effective way to sequester the emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The exact amount of fuel used by SpaceX's Starship rocket varies depending on the mission and other factors. During each test of the Starship rocket, SpaceX goes through an enormous amount of fuel. According to one estimate, the Starship takes off with around 4500 tons of fuel, with around 100-150 tons reaching orbit.
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The cost to fill a Falcon 9 is around $150,000
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has a fuel capacity of 17.5 tons and a price tag of $70 million per launch. The cost to fill a Falcon 9 is around $150,000, and the company charges around $67 million for a launch. The rocket is priced at $67 million for a fully reusable version and $90 million for the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy version, which can be recovered for reuse. The cost to build a Falcon 9 rocket is estimated to be around $20 million, with the marginal cost of additional rockets being much lower.
In 2015, Elon Musk stated that a fully reusable F9 would reduce costs by a factor of 100, and propellant costs were quoted at $200,000. This would mean that the cost to refuel a Falcon 9 is around $200,000. However, there are other operating costs to consider, such as staff, launch facility usage, equipment transportation, and recovery, which can drive up the total cost of a launch.
The Falcon 9 rocket has achieved a high success rate, with 509 out of 512 full mission successes as of August 1, 2025. Despite a few anomalies and malfunctions, the rocket has proven to be a reliable and efficient mode of transportation for SpaceX.
The cost of propellant and materials for the Falcon 9 rocket makes up a small percentage of the overall cost, with Musk stating in 2013 that they accounted for about 0.3% and 2% respectively. The development of the rocket's technology has also incurred significant costs, with an estimated $1 billion spent as of 2017.
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SpaceX's fast launch cadence may interfere with sound judgement
SpaceX, founded in 2002, has revolutionized space technology with its advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company has achieved notable success with its Falcon 9 rocket family, which includes retired and active versions that have launched hundreds of times since 2010. In 2024, SpaceX broke its own record with 134 total Falcon flights, showcasing its rapid launch cadence. However, this fast pace may come at a cost.
The NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's 2024 Annual Report highlighted a concern that SpaceX's rapid launch cadence may "interfere with sound judgment, deliberate analysis, and careful implementation of corrective actions." This warning came in the wake of anomalies, such as the Falcon 9 upper-stage engine malfunction during a deorbit burn in the same year. While SpaceX's openness and willingness to address issues were praised, the report underscored the potential risks of a fast launch cadence.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket family has seen continuous development and improvement since its initial launch in 2010. The retired versions include Falcon 9 v1.0, which was launched five times from 2010 to 2013, and Falcon 9 v1.1, which had 15 launches from 2013 to 2016. The Falcon 9 Full Thrust (through Block 4) was launched 36 times from December 2015 to June 2018, and its latest iteration, Block 5, introduced in May 2018, has already seen numerous successful launches.
The Falcon 9 rocket's fuel consumption contributes to its environmental impact. Each Falcon 9 v1.1 launch utilizes about 147,000 kg of RP-1 rocket fuel (kerosene-like) and 341,000 kg of liquid oxygen. The associated greenhouse gas emissions are significant, estimated at 540 metric tons for the rocket fuel and an additional 102 tons for producing the liquid oxygen.
SpaceX's rapid launch cadence has undoubtedly driven innovation and achievements in space exploration. However, as highlighted by the NASA report, it is crucial to balance this pace with careful analysis and corrective actions to ensure the continued success and safety of their missions.
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Nearly all the fuel is used, except for what's needed to cover sumps
The amount of fuel used by a SpaceX rocket depends on various factors, including the rocket's architecture, payload, and flight segments. SpaceX's Starship, for instance, takes off with around 4500 tonnes of fuel, of which about 100-150 tonnes can reach orbit. Nearly all of the fuel is utilised, except for a small portion that is necessary to keep the fuel and oxidizer sumps covered.
The purpose of a fuel sump is to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply by keeping the fuel near the pickup during cornering, acceleration, braking, and other vehicle movements. Sumps act as a reserve mini tank, preventing fuel starvation and ensuring the fuel doesn't slosh away from the pickup. Without a sump, the fuel supply can be interrupted, leading to issues such as fuel starvation in certain vehicle configurations.
In the context of SpaceX rockets, the fuel and oxidizer sumps need to remain covered to prevent the high-performance rocket engines from ingesting gases instead of liquid fuel. If a rocket engine ingests gases, it can result in a rapid unplanned disassembly (RUD) of the engine, which is a critical failure. Therefore, a small amount of fuel is reserved to ensure the sumps remain covered and the engine functions properly.
Additionally, it is important to note that the rocket equation, formulated by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1903, plays a significant role in determining the amount of fuel needed for a SpaceX rocket. The equation takes into account factors such as mass, time, efficiency, and external forces. By applying the rocket equation, engineers can calculate the mass of fuel required to transport a specific payload to a particular destination, such as low Earth orbit (LEO).
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 has achieved 509 out of 512 full mission successes
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been launched 523 times as of August 2025, with 509 full mission successes, a success rate of 99.4%. The rocket is a partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX.
Falcon 9's first launch was on June 4, 2010, and its first commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was on October 8, 2012. In 2020, it became the first commercial rocket to launch humans into orbit. The rocket has two stages: the first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payload to a predetermined speed and altitude, and the second stage accelerates the payload to its target orbit. The booster is capable of landing vertically to facilitate reuse, a feat first achieved in December 2015.
The Falcon 9 has seen five major revisions: v1.0, v1.1, Full Thrust (also called Block 3 or v1.2), Block 4, and Block 5. The active "Full Thrust" variant Falcon 9 Block 5 has launched 455 or 456 times since May 2018, with only one failure. In 2022, the Falcon 9 set a new record with 60 successful launches by the same launch vehicle type in a calendar year.
The Falcon 9 rocket uses rocket kerosene and cryogenically cooled liquid oxygen. It carries about 39,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (LOX) and 25,000 gallons of rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) for a total of 64,000 gallons of fuel mixture. The rocket burns 3,200 lbs of fuel per second at full power. The second stage burns about 1.04 gallons per second.
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Frequently asked questions
The amount of fuel used depends on the launch vehicle and the mission. For example, the Falcon 9 rocket uses liquid oxygen and refined kerosene called RP1, while the Starship rocket uses methane and liquid oxygen. The cost to fill a Falcon 9 rocket is around $150,000. The Starship rocket has propellant tanks that can hold 1,500 tonnes of propellant, consisting of 1,170 tonnes of liquid oxygen and 330 tonnes of liquid methane.
SpaceX aims to use nearly all of the fuel during a launch, except for a small amount necessary to keep the fuel and oxidizer sumps covered. However, there have been instances of fuel leaks and anomalies during launches, which can result in the loss of a Falcon 9 booster or an upper-stage malfunction.
SpaceX obtains its fuel through various methods. For liquid methane, they can buy natural gas on the open market, use gas from their own oil and gas wells, or manufacture methane using processes like the Sabatier reaction, which converts carbon dioxide and water into methane. For liquid oxygen, they need to cool it to cryogenic temperatures to compress and fit more into the rocket.
