The Falcon Heavy is capable of lifting “nearly 64 metric tons—a mass greater than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.”
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon Heavy rocket on February 6, 2018 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Falcon Heavy is “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two,” according to data released by SpaceX.
The rocket was powered by 27 Merlin engines, generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. This is “equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.”]
This was the first test flight for the rocket.
Heavy-lift into space
The Falcon Heavy is capable of lifting “nearly 64 metric tons—a mass greater than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.” This heavy-lift capability provides the means to take both equipment and people into space.
The Falcon Heavy rocket delivers a heavy-lift capability at a fraction of the price of its nearest competitor. SpaceX is highlighting both the affordability and reusability of its assets with this test launch.
SpaceX’s main competitor, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket is able to lift up to around 30 tons into Low Earth Orbit. ULA’s rocket has a history of success, with an unmatched 100% success rate published on their website. ULA’s launch capability has been used by the Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, and NASA. ULA has plans to develop an even more powerful rocket, the Vulcan.
The only rocket that delivered a more powerful lift capability was the Saturn V, which was used in the Apollo missions that took men to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. The rocket is no longer in use, although it remains the most powerful rocket in the history of spaceflight.
The future of space flight
SpaceX is envisioning new uses in addition to providing the heavy-lift capability needed for further space exploration.
The two side core boosters were successfully landed at designated landing zones at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Those boosters had previously been sent on missions, one in May 2016 and the other in July 2016.
The successful landing of the boosters following the test flight is a remarkable step towards a sustainable and cost-effective way of getting into space. With the eventual goal of getting humans to Mars, reusable spacecraft allow missions to continue without funding and building entirely new parts.
The planned landing of the Falcon Heavy’s core on a drone ship was not successful. “Even if we do not complete all of the experimental milestones that are being attempted during this test, we will still be gathering critical data throughout the mission,” SpaceX said in a press kit released before the test flight.
The successful landing of the boosters following the test flight is a remarkable step towards a sustainable and cost-effective way of getting into space.
Alexa, order me a ticket to Mars
A few other companies and organizations are poised to compete with the Falcon Heavy within a few years.
Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon and human spaceflight company Blue Origin, already has spacecraft capable of launching humans and equipment into space. The New Shepard and New Glenn craft, named for famed Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and John Glenn, touts the reusability of their technology.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, is in production for the Space Launch System. The SLS is planned to “launch astronauts in the agency’s Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars, while opening new possibilities for other payloads including robotic scientific missions to places like Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter.”
Enjoy your trip, Starman
The test flight was carrying a payload of a midnight-cherry red Tesla Roadster. Tesla, a company also owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, designs and builds all electric, high performance vehicles. The marrying of sustainability and performance in Tesla is also represented in the technology of the Falcon Heavy.
View from SpaceX Launch Control. Apparently, there is a car in orbit around Earth. pic.twitter.com/QljN2VnL1O
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2018
“Starman,” a mannequin sitting in the driver’s seat of the Tesla outfitted in a spacesuit, is enjoying a stunning view of space as the car and its driver travel to an Earth-Mars orbit around the sun. An homage to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is seen on the dashboard where the words “Don’t Panic” are displayed.
While whimsical, the sight of Starman enjoying his own trip around the sun from his Roadster with the blue marble of earth in his rear view mirror shows both the technological advances of this launch, as well as the future of humankind’s space exploration.
