The Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests were a series of controlled-descent flight tests conducted by SpaceX between 2013 and 2016. The program's objective was to reliably execute controlled re-entry, descent and landing (EDL) of the Falcon 9 first stage into Earth's atmosphere after the stage completes the boost phase of an orbital spaceflight. The first tests aimed to touch down vertically in the ocean at zero velocity. Later tests attempted to land the rocket precisely on an autonomous spaceport drone ship (a barge commissioned by SpaceX to provide a stable landing surface at sea) or at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1), a concrete pad at Cape Canaveral. The first ground landing at LZ-1 succeeded in December 2015, and the first landing at sea on a drone ship in April 2016. The second landed booster, B1021, was the first to fly again in March 2017, and was recovered a second time. The first landing test occurred in September 2013 on the sixth flight of a Falcon 9 and maiden launch of the v1.1 rocket version. From 2013 to 2016, sixteen test flights were conducted, six of which achieved a soft landing and recovery of the booster.
The first test was a controlled-descent flight in September 2013—the sixth Falcon 9 mission and maiden flight of v1.1.
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From ocean to pad
Early tests targeted zero-velocity ocean touchdowns; later ones aimed for precision landings on LZ-1 or drone ships.
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Two landings, two milestones
December 2015 saw the first successful ground landing; April 2016 delivered the first sea landing on a drone ship.
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Six down, one up twice
Six of sixteen tests achieved soft landing and recovery—and only one booster, B1021, flew again and landed twice.
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Worth your time?
Yes. Study the whole thing.
3.5/ 5
What works
Vertical propulsive landing on land.
Vertical propulsive landing on drone ship.
Booster reflight and second recovery (B1021).
What does not
It does not prove reliability.
It does not establish low-cost or rapid-turnaround reuse.
It does not demonstrate success on first attempt.
Study it if
Launch vehicle designers
Space logistics planners
Reusable propulsion engineers
Skip it if
Commercial satellite operators
Policy makers assessing near-term cost reductions
General aerospace educators seeking textbook-ready case studies
Who should study it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read
What it is and the problem it solves
A series of controlled-descent flight tests to land Falcon 9 first stages after orbital boost. It solved the problem of discarding multi-million-dollar hardware after one use.
How it works
The tests used controlled-descent flight to execute re-entry, descent and landing of the Falcon 9 first stage after orbital boost phase. Early tests targeted vertical ocean touchdown at zero velocity. Later tests aimed for precision landings on a concrete pad (LZ-1) or an autonomous drone ship at sea.
What works
Vertical propulsive landing on land succeeded in December 2015. Landing on a drone ship at sea succeeded in April 2016. Booster B1021 was reflown and recovered a second time.
What does not
Ten of sixteen test flights failed to achieve soft landing and recovery. The tests did not prove reliability: they proved possibility, with repeated failure built into the method.
What it changes
They changed the baseline assumption that orbital rocket stages must be expendable. They enabled reuse—B1021 flew twice—but did not demonstrate routine, low-cost, high-frequency turnaround.
Is it worth your time
Yes—if you work in launch systems, reusable rocketry, or space logistics. The tests established that vertical propulsive landing of an orbital-class booster is operationally achievable—but only after sixteen flights, six soft landings, and two years of iteration.
