Merlin Vacuum is a rocket engine designed and manufactured by SpaceX, which is a private American aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. The engine is used to power the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket and the entire Falcon Heavy rocket. The Merlin Vacuum engine uses liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene as propellants and is designed to operate in a vacuum environment.

The Merlin Vacuum engine was designed by SpaceX engineers, led by Tom Mueller, who is also the designer of the smaller Merlin 1C engine used on the Falcon 1 rocket. The development of the Merlin Vacuum engine was part of SpaceX's larger effort to create reusable rockets and reduce the cost of spaceflight.

As for the costs and suppliers involved in the Merlin Vacuum engine, SpaceX is known for its vertically integrated approach to rocket manufacturing, meaning that it designs and manufactures many of the components in-house, including the rocket engines. The company has not disclosed the exact costs of the Merlin Vacuum engine, but it has stated that its use of advanced manufacturing techniques and reusable rockets has allowed it to significantly reduce the cost of spaceflight compared to traditional aerospace companies.

In terms of upcoming SpaceX missions, here is a list of some of the planned launches:

CRS-24: A cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) using the Falcon 9 rocket, currently scheduled for May 2023.
Crew-6: A crewed mission to the ISS using the Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft, currently scheduled for June 2023.
GPS III-5: A mission to launch a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite into orbit using the Falcon 9 rocket, currently scheduled for July 2023.
Inspiration4: A private crewed mission to orbit around the Earth using the Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon spacecraft, currently scheduled for October 2023.
DART: A mission to launch NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft using the Falcon 9 rocket, currently scheduled for November 2023.
It's important to note that launch dates and destinations can be subject to change due to various factors such as weather conditions and technical issues, so it's best to check for the latest information from SpaceX or other reliable sources.
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