With Falcon 1, when Musk announced his plans for it before a subcommittee in the Senate in 2004, he discussed that Falcon 1 would be the "worlds only semi-reusable orbital rocket" apart from the Space Shuttle.[2] On 28 September 2008, on its fourth attempt, the Falcon 1 successfully reached orbit, becoming the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to do so.[3]