Rocket Engine, Liquid Fuel, Merlin 1D
The Merlin 1D engine, with up to 190,000 pounds of thrust, is the powerhouse of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The engine uses liquid oxygen (LOX) and RP-1 (a rocket-grade kerosene) as propellants.
First stages of both rockets use a cluster of 9 Merlin 1D engines. Second stages use a single Merlin 1D optimized for vacuum conditions. This engine is a first-stage center engine.
A notable feature of both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles is that the first-stage boosters can complete vertical landings, making these stages recoverable and subsequently reusable. During the burn for the controlled vertical landing, only the center engine is fired.
This engine powered the launches and landings of three flights: Iridium-6 in June 2018 (from Vandenberg, CA), Saocom 1A in October 2018 (from Vandenberg, CA), and PSN VI in February 2019 (from Cape Canaveral, FL).
The engine was donated by SpaceX in 2022.
Display Status
This object is on display in Futures In Space at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
