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==Quarto lancio==
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Il Falcon 1 compìeffettuò il quarto volo con successolancio il 28 settembre 2008 alle 23:15 GMT dall'isola di Omelek<ref name="SpaceX Falcon1 Flight4MSC">{{cita web|lingua=en| url=http://spacexwww.spaceflightnow.com/updatesfalcon/004/status.phphtml|titolo=FlightMission 4Status Launch UpdateCenter|pubblicazionecognome=SpaceXRay|nome=Justin|data=2328-09-2008|pubblicazione=Spaceflight Now|accesso=28-09-2008}}</ref>. Fu la prima missione del Falcon 1 ad avere successo, oltre ad essere la prima di un [[razzo vettore]] a propellente liquido finanziato da privati.
[[Image:Spacex 067.jpg|thumb|The second stage [[Kestrel (rocket engine)|Kestrel engine]] glows red hot during Falcon 1's fourth launch and first successful orbital flight.]]
'''Falcon 1 Flight 4''' was a test flight of the [[SpaceX]] [[Falcon 1|Falcon 1]] rocket, which was launched on 28 September 2008, at 23:15 [[GMT]] from [[Omelek Island]], part of the [[Kwajalein Atoll]] in the [[Marshall Islands]].<ref name="MSC">{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/status.html|title=Mission Status Center|last=Ray|first=Justin|date=2008-09-28|publisher=Spaceflight Now|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-28}}</ref> It was Falcon 1's first successful launch, and the first of any privately-funded, liquid-propelled [[carrier rocket]].
AsDopo ail resultfallimento ofdei thetre failurelanci ofprecedenti, threeil previousrazzo launches,questa thevolta rockettrasportava carrieduna areplica non-functional [[boilerplatefunzionante (rocketry)di un satellite, detta ''Ratsat''<ref name="JSR 601">{{cita web|boilerplate]]lingua=en spacecraft|url=http://host.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.601|titolo= Issue 601|accesso= 29-09-2008|cognome=McDowell|nome=Jonathan|data=26-09-2008|formato=html|pubblicazione=Jonathan's Space Report}}</ref>, del peso di 165 kg, usata per simulare la massa di quello reale<ref name="F3">{{citecita web|lingua=en| url=http://www.space.com/news/080806-spacex-falcon1-update.html|titletitolo=SpaceX Traces Third Rocket Failure to Timing Error|lastcognome=Malik|firstnome=Tariq|coauthorscoautori=Brian Berger, Brian|datedata=200806-08-062008|publisherpubblicazione=Space.com|languageaccesso=English|accessdate=200828-09-282008}}</ref> Thee boilerplateche spacecraftrimase isimbullonata aal 165-kilogramsecondo (363-pound)stadio payloaddel massrazzo simulator,dopo knownaver asraggiunto l'''Ratsat''',<ref name="JSR 601"/> which remained bolted to the second stage of the carrier rocket after reaching [[lowLow_earth_orbit|orbita Earthterrestre orbitbassa]].<ref name="SFN preview">{{citecita web|lingua=en| url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/080927preview.html|titletitolo=SpaceX to launch its fourth Falcon 1 rocket on Sunday|lastcognome=Clark|firstnome=Stephen|datedata=200827-09-272008|publisherpubblicazione=Spaceflight Now|languageaccesso=English|accessdate=200828-09-282008}}</ref> It has a [[hexagonal prism]] shape, 1.5 m (5 ft) long.<ref name="Press release">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20080928|title=Press Release: SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 to Orbit}}</ref>
Ha la forma di un [[prisma]] esagonale lungo 1,5 m<ref name="Press release">{{cita web|lang=en |url=http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20080928|titolo=Press Release: SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 to Orbit}}</ref>. Elon Musk stima che il Ratsat rimarrà in orbita per un periodo che va da cinque a dieci anni, prima di rientrare nell'atmosfera incenerendosi.
SpaceX co-founder [[Elon Musk]] estimates that Ratsat will remain in orbit for between five and ten years before burning up in the atmosphere.
TheIl rocketnon followedsubì thesostanziali samemodifiche trajectoryrispetto asal thevolo previous flightprecedente, whicha failedparte tol'aumento placedell'intervallo thedi [[Trailblazertempo (satellite)|Trailblazer]],fra [[NanoSail-D]],lo [[PreSat]]spegnimento anddel [[Celestis|Explorers]]motore spacecraftdel intoprimo orbit.stadio Noe majorla changesseparazione weredel madesecondo to(necessario theper rocket,evitare otherla thancollisione increasingdei thedue time between first stage burnout and second stage separation. This minor change addressed the failure seen on the previous flight, recontact between the first and second stages, by dissipating residual thrust in the first stage engine before separating them.stadi)<ref name="SFN preview" /><ref name="F3" /><ref>{{CiteCita news | idlingua=en| cid={{issn|0362-4331}} | lastcognome = Schwartz | firstnome = John | titletitolo = Private Company Launches Its Rocket Into Orbit | workpubblicazione = [[The New York Times]] | accessdateaccesso = 200829-09-292008 |datedata = 200829-09-292008 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/science/space/29launch.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin}}</ref>, e ne seguì la stessa traiettoria.
AlthoughBenché SpaceX intendsintendesse torecuperare recovertutti thei firstprimi stagestadi ofdei allveicoli Falcon 1 launch vehicles, theyfu havedichiarato statedche thatnon theyera werestato notpossibile ablefarlo toin doquesta so after this flight.occasione<ref name="First stage recovery">{{ citecita web| lingua=en| url=http://www.spacexpla.net/blog/?p=79 | titletitolo=Let’s celebrate a new era!| publisherpubblicazione=SpaceXpla.net| accessdateaccesso = 200818-10- 182008 | datedata = 200807-10- 072008}}</ref> .▼
▲Although SpaceX intends to recover the first stage of all Falcon 1 launch vehicles, they have stated that they were not able to do so after this flight.<ref name="First stage recovery">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacexpla.net/blog/?p=79 |title=Let’s celebrate a new era!|publisher=SpaceXpla.net| accessdate = 2008-10-18 |date = 2008-10-07}}</ref>
===Preparations===
When the fourth flight was first announced in August 2008, shortly after the third flight failed, it was planned for launch in September.<ref name="F3" /> The rocket that was used to conduct the test flight was originally built to launch the [[RazakSAT]] satellite. The test flight was introduced into the launch schedule because [[Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd]] (ATSB)<ref name="ATSB">{{cite web|url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/ATSB|title=ATSB|work=The Free Dictionary|publisher=Farlex|accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> required a successful flight to be conducted before RazakSAT could be launched.<ref name="F3" />
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