How Fast Is Falcon 9 Stage 1?

The Falcon 9 first stage separates at 2,300 m/s — Mach 7 — and then turns around and lands itself back on a barge or pad. It has flown 20+ times on individual boosters, fundamentally changing the economics of spaceflight by a factor of 10.

Each Falcon 9 first stage now flies an average of 12 missions before retirement. SpaceX has more reused boosters than the entire history of rocketry combined.

• Mach 7
• Then turns around and lands itself