Launch of the Falcon SpaceX Air Force satellite in 2020

Spectacular as it was, the star did not make money for a space company that essentially launches stuff into space to make a living .

The Cargo – a red Tesla Roadster electric car, a Hot Wheels toy model, a data storage device with a copy of the Isaac Asimov Foundation novels and the names of over 6000 SpaceX employees – was sent to the space force of a private company.

This show of strength seems to have sounded the good bell with the US government, which has already awarded the first contract to the Falcon Heavy.

According to Wired, in June, the US Airforce booked a flight on the Heavy for a launch in 2020 of the Space Command-52 satellite.

"SpaceX is honored by the selection of Falcon Heavy by the Air Force to launch the AFSPC-52 mission," Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, said in a press release

"On behalf of all our employees, I would like to thank the Air Force for having certified Falcon Heavy, who entrusted us with this mission. crucial importance, and their confidence in our company. "

Choosing Falcon Heavy D other rockets, including Launch Alliance machines, are the right choice, given the best loading capacity and launch cost of the rocket.

The Falcon Heavy is currently the world's most powerful operational rocket by a factor of two, capable of generating more than 5 million pounds of take-off thrust via the three 27 Merlin Falcon 9 engines. That's about the equivalent of eighteen 747 planes starting their engines at the same time.

Being a reusable launch system, Falcon Heavy could significantly reduce the price per launch of space missions. Since 2013, introductory prices have been below $ 2,200 / kg thanks to SpaceX's efforts, among others.