Here's everything you need to know about SpaceX Falcon Heavy – KSWO 7News

By Patrick Daniels

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It's time for Elon Musk and his launch company, SpaceX, to shake the world to travel off planet again. After a year of successful launches and recovery of the early stages of the Falcon 9 rocket, Musk is targeting heavier payloads, more launches and larger missions – which will theoretically be possible with the introduction of the new rocket SpaceX:. The rocket was successfully launched on February 6th around 3:45 pm EST … well, more or less successfully, anyway.

Here's all you need to know about what will soon be the biggest rocket in the world.

What's the big deal?

Big is exactly the case. When the Falcon Heavy debuts, it will become the largest operational rocket in the world – overshadowed only by the Saturn V rocket, which was last used in 1973. Weighing 54 tonnes, the Falcon Heavy also features a powerful, lightweight, and lightweight design. an operational rocket. The payload of more than twice its closest competitor, the Delta IV Heavy, can still be produced for only a third of the cost

This is made possible by relying heavily on the proven success of the system. Falcon 9 rocket, like The Falcon Heavy's first stage is made up of three Falcon 9 engine cores. The 27 combined Merlin engines generate more than five million pounds of thrust on takeoff, which equates to the power of 18,747 aircraft. (As we wait for takeoff, here are seven more amazing facts about the Heavy Falcon.)

Why Wait?

First mentioned by Musk in 2005, and originally scheduled to become operational just a few years later, the Falcon Heavy has been in production for some time

. In 2011, plans were put in place to increase manufacturing capabilities to meet the expected demands of Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy. Then, in 2015, with the introduction of the Falcon 9 V1.1 enhancements, the tandem production of the Falcon Heavy was announced. This eventually culminated in a photo published in December 2016 of the Falcon Heavy Interstage at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

Since then, a number of different things (additional tests, CRS-7 launch failure and extended launch pad). renovations) contributed to years of delays. But now, with his maiden voyage scheduled for February 2018, business is piling up for SpaceX

How Did the Falcon Heavy Test Launch Go?

This was a success … in general. As expected, Falcon Heavy was launched on February 6, 2018 with Tesla Roadster, Elon Musk's personal car. The launch was done with three rocket boosters, which broke off as planned when the rocket went into orbit. The boosters were designed to go down to earth where they could be salvaged and reused. The three boosters had preprogrammed return flights to perform: Two of the boosters landed safely on the Cape Canaveral Air Force station, but the third, due to land on the SpaceX landing area in the Atlantic Ocean, missed its target. However, the landing was considered a general success because the payload was successfully delivered into orbit without damage and most of the boosters returned to Earth for reuse. The Tesla Roadster, meanwhile, was destined to follow a trajectory towards Mars, but missed its target and is currently planning to visit the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter as a consolation prize. Reports confirm that Musk was, in fact, not in his car at the time

What are the next steps for Falcon Heavy?

about three exciting events in the future of Falcon Heavy, and how they unfold:

STP-2 : Space Test Program-2 is an American satellite mission in which Falcon Heavy will take at least two dozen satellites into orbit for launch, and a vital test of Heavy's capabilities. These satellites come from a myriad of organizations, including NASA, the US Army and several research groups. Currently, the STP-2 mission is scheduled for October 2018, but it has already been postponed (it was originally scheduled for June), so the date is not fully confirmed.

Arabsat-6A Arabsat-6A is also a satellite launch project, but this launch is focused on commercial satellites, rather than satellites of military and research organizations. The launch is being run by Riyadh, a Saudi satellite operator, and will include an unknown number of satellites. Commercial satellite numbers are harder to predict because of 1) private contracts and 2) commercial firms can negotiate changes in their launch plans. Viasat and the European Aviation Network, for example, switched to another satellite launch in 2017 after the launch of the Falcon Heavy 2016 for a few years. Currently, the launch of Arabsat-6A is expected to take place in December 2018 / January 2019.

US Air Force AFSPC-52 contra ct: In June 2018, Falcon Heavy wins a US $ 130 million Air Force contract to launch the AFSPC-52 satellite. Falcon Heavy has been in close competition with Delta 4, of the United Launch Alliance, but has finally won both the important Air Force certification and the flight contract. An important caveat, however: This particular satellite is expected to be launched towards the end of 2020, and many things can change by then, so this contract could be subject to change.

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