Space X has successfully launched its Falcon Heavy rocket, deemed to be the most robust operational rocket used in a commercial mission. The launch took place on Thursday at the Florida Kennedy Space Center.
The massive Falcon Heavy rocket was tested successfully in 2018 when it managed to carry a red Tesla roadster to space. In less than three minutes after the launch, the two side booster were separated and started to travel towards the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The middle booster, which carried the payload into space, came back after 10 minutes and it was recovered by a particular seafaring drone ship. During the 2018 test flight, the core booster missed the mark and fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy is fast, powerful and efficient
Many people are likely to be more familiar with the Falcon 9. The number in the name stands for the number of engines used by the rocket, which is used for satellite launches and supply missions for the International Space Station. One of the best traits of Falcon 9 is the reusability since the first stage of the rocket will always return to Earth.
The more powerful Falcon Heavy is comprised of three Falcon 9 rockets, a feat which increases the number of engines to 27. It can lift an approximate number of 63,800 kilograms to low-Earth orbit. For comparison, the most potent rocket which is currently in production, Delta IV Heavy can carry 22,560 kilograms.
SpaceX designed the Falcon line with reusability in mind, and this makes them more affordable in comparison to the competition. A Falcon Heavy launch costs $90 million while the price tag for the Delta IV Heavy provided by the United Launch Alliance is considerably steeper at $500 million.
Several customers are looking forward to using the services offered by SpaceX, including private companies and the US military. It is also likely that NASA may opt to Falcon rockets for the future moon missions.
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