The Falcon 1e is an American partially reusable launch system which is being developed by SpaceX. It will replace the Falcon 1, which was retired in 2009 following five launches, two of which were successful. The Falcon 1e consists of a new first stage, the same second stage used on the Falcon 1, and a new, larger payload fairing. It was expected to make its maiden flight in mid 2011.

As of May 2012, SpaceX states that "Current plans are for payloads that would fly on Falcon 1 to be served by flights on the Falcon 9, utilizing excess capacity" and no Falcon 1e flights are scheduled through 2017.

The Falcon 1e is 6.1 metres (20 ft) longer than the Falcon 1, with an overall length of 27.4 metres (90 ft), although both rockets have the same diameter; 1.68 metres (5 ft 6 in). Its first stage has a mass of 5,680 kilograms (12,500 lb), and is powered by a single Merlin 1C engine, burning 39,463 kilograms (87,000 lb) of RP-1 and liquid oxygen. The first stage will burn to depletion, taking around 196 seconds to do so. After this it will separate from the second stage by means of pyrotechnic fasteners and pneumatic actuators. The second stage has a mass of 544 kilograms (1,200 lb) and its Kestrel engine burns 3,037 kilograms (6,700 lb) of propellant. It is restartable, and can burn for up to a total of 418 seconds.

A falcon ( /ˈfɔːlkən/ or /ˈfælkən/) is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

Adult falcons have thin tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers which makes their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing. This makes it easier to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters as adults.

Peregrine Falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. Other falcons include the Gyrfalcon, Lanner Falcon, and the Merlin. Some small falcons with long narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which hover while hunting are called kestrels. The falcons are part of the family Falconidae, which also includes the caracaras, Laughing Falcon, forest falcons, and falconets.

Elon Musk (born June 28, 1971) is a South African-born American business magnate, engineer and inventor. He is best known for co-founding SpaceX, Tesla Motors and X.com, which later became Paypal after acquiring the service. He is currently the CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity. While at those companies, Musk co-designed the first viable electric car of the modern era, the Tesla Roadster, a private successor to the Space Shuttle, Falcon 9/Dragon, and the world's largest Internet payment system, PayPal.

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the son of a Canadian-American mother and a South African father. His maternal grandfather was from Minnesota, and had moved to Saskatchewan, where Musk's mother was born. His father is an engineer and his mother is an author, nutritionist and model, appearing on the cover of New York Magazine in 2011 and a Time Magazine supplement in 2010.

Musk bought his first computer at age 10 and taught himself how to program; by the age of 12 he sold his first commercial software for about $500, a space game called Blastar.