Falcon Heavy - Knowledge

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great vehicle. There is just so much that is really impossible to test on the ground. We'll do our best. ... It actually ended up being way harder to do Falcon Heavy than we thought. At first it sounds real easy; you just stick two first stages on as strap-on boosters. How hard can that be? But then everything changes. ... Really way, way more difficult than we originally thought. We were pretty naive about that. ... but optimized, its 2 1/2 times the payload capability of Falcon 9.

1880: 10597: 1261: 9874: 29: 2071:(GTO) is reduced by the reusable technology, but at a much lower price. When recovering all three booster cores, GTO payload is 8 t (18,000 lb). If only the two outside cores are recovered while the center core is expended, GTO payload would be approximately 16 t (35,000 lb). As a comparison, the next-heaviest contemporary rocket, the fully expendable Delta IV Heavy, could deliver 14.2 t (31,000 lb) to GTO. 905: 1360:, followed by the landing legs. The side boosters land softly on the ground in fully/partially reusable launch configuration. The center core continues to fire until stage separation. In fully reusable launches, its grid fins and legs deploy and the center core touches down on a drone ship. If boosters are expended, then the landing legs and grid fins are omitted from the vehicle. The landing legs are made of carbon fiber with aluminum 1315:

for vacuum operation, with a thrust of 934 kN (210,000 lbf), an expansion ratio of 117:1 and a nominal burn time of 397 seconds. At launch, the center core throttles to full power for a few seconds for additional thrust, then throttles down. This allows a longer burn time. After the side boosters separate, the center core throttles back up to maximum thrust. For added reliability of restart, the engine has dual redundant

3397: 2099:, Musk testified, "Long term plans call for development of a heavy lift product and even a super-heavy, if there is customer demand. We expect that each size increase would result in a meaningful decrease in cost per pound to orbit. ... Ultimately, I believe US$ 500 per pound or less is very achievable". This $ 1,100/kg ($ 500/lb) goal stated by Musk in 2011 is 35% of the cost of the lowest-cost-per-pound 3425: 2515:

successfully deploy the additional payloads, G-Space 1 and Arcturus. Featured a thermal gray band second stage, due to performance requirements for a direct GEO injection, both the center core and side boosters were expended without landing legs or grid fins, this was also the first fully expendable mission for Falcon Heavy since its introduction, the fairings were recovered with heavy burn marks.

9463: 9238: 9196: 8605: 8533: 8268: 7951: 7299: 7092: 6998: 6515: 6447: 5623: 5465: 1825:, which are locked against each first-stage tank core during ascent and deploy just prior to touchdown. Excess propellant reserved for Falcon Heavy first-stage recovery operations will be diverted for use on the primary mission objective, if required, ensuring sufficient performance margins for successful missions. The nominal payload capacity to a 1299:. The rocket was designed to meet or exceed all current requirements of human rating. The structural safety margins are 40% above flight loads, higher than the 25% margins of other rockets. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and it would restore the possibility of flying crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. 3354:(HALO). To decrease complexity, NASA announced in February 2021 that it is launching the first two elements on a single Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, targeting a launch date no earlier than 2025. Before switching to a merged launch, NASA listed in April 2020 Falcon Heavy as the launch vehicle for PPE lone launch. 3153:

letter stated that Falcon Heavy can be ready to fly national security payloads by 2017. But in July 2017, SpaceX announced that the first test flight would take place in December 2017, pushing the second launch (Space Test Program 2) to June 2018. In May 2018, on the occasion of the first launch of the Falcon 9

1829:(GTO) is 8 t (18,000 lb) with recovery of all three first-stage cores (the price per launch is US$ 97 million), versus 26.7 t (59,000 lb) in fully expendable mode. The Falcon Heavy can also inject a 16 t (35,000 lb) payload into GTO if only the two side boosters are recovered. 2064:. In the case of Falcon Heavy, the two outer cores separate from the rocket earlier in the flight, and are thus moving at a lower velocity than in a Falcon 9 launch profile. For the first flight of Falcon Heavy, SpaceX had considered attempting to recover the second stage, but did not execute this plan. 4040:

There is a lot of risk associated with the Falcon Heavy. There is a real good chance that the vehicle does not make it to orbit ... I hope it makes far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage. I would consider even that a win, to be honest. ... I think Falcon Heavy is going to be a

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Heaviest commercial geostationary satellite weighing 9,200 kg (20,300 lb) at launch. The second stage had a gray band for the same reason as on the USSF-44 flight, but this time it was configured for medium coast phase. Core expended, two boosters recovered to land. Payload fairing recovery

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and weighed roughly 3.7 t (8,200 lb) at launch. They were launched in a direct geosynchronous orbit, necessitating for the first time a planned partially expendable launch, that is, to deliberately expend the center core which lacks grid fins and landing gear needed for a landing, while the

2083:. Operating all engines at full thrust from launch, with fuel supplied mainly from the side boosters, would deplete the side boosters sooner, allowing their earlier separation to reduce the mass being accelerated. This would leave most of the center core propellant available after booster separation. 1355:

at the top of each of the three Falcon 9 boosters, which extend after separation. Immediately after the side boosters separate, three engines in each continues to burn for a few seconds in order to control the booster's trajectory safely away from the rocket. The grid fins then deploy as the boosters

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The next military mission to fly on a Falcon Heavy rocket, named USSF-67, will launch the LDPE 3 spacecraft and a Space Force communications satellite in tandem. That launch is scheduled for January, and will use the same Falcon Heavy side boosters flown on the USSF-44 mission, assuming a successful

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that is expected to facilitate autonomous navigation. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) has a mass of 500 kg (1,100 lb) and will measure the effects of very low frequency radio waves on space radiation. The British 'Orbital Test Bed' payload is

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and use a sophisticated suite of science instruments to investigate whether the icy moon has conditions suitable for life. Key mission objectives are to produce high-resolution images of Europa's surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing geological activity, measure the

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From 2017 to early 2022, the price has been stated at US$ 150 million for 63.8 t (141,000 lb) to LEO or 26.7 t (59,000 lb) to GTO (fully expendable). This equates to a price of US$ 2,350 per kg to LEO and US$ 5,620 per kg to GTO. In 2022, the published price for a reusable launch

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engines. The Falcon Heavy has a total sea-level thrust at liftoff of 22.82 MN (5,130,000 lbf), from the 27 Merlin 1D engines, while thrust rises to 24.68 MN (5,550,000 lbf) as the craft climbs out of the atmosphere. The upper stage is powered by a single Merlin 1D engine modified

1291:. This triple first stage carries a standard Falcon 9 second stage, which in turn carries the payload in a fairing. Falcon Heavy has the second highest lift capability of any operational rocket, with a payload of 63,800 kg (140,700 lb) to low Earth orbit, 26,700 kg (58,900 lb) to 7465:

The core stage was expended on the USSF-44, while the rocket's two side boosters returned to near-simultaneous landings in SpaceX's recovery zone at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A military spokesperson said in 2021 that the Falcon Heavy's two side boosters on the USSF-44 mission would target

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The published prices for Falcon Heavy launches have changed as development progressed, with announced prices for the various versions of Falcon Heavy priced at US$ 80–125 million in 2011, US$ 83–128 million in 2012, US$ 77–135 million in 2013, US$ 85 million for up to 6.4 t (14,000 lb) to

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face sheet plies. Unlike for Falcon 9, the black thermal protection layer on the interstage of Block 5 center core boosters is later painted white, as seen in the Falcon Heavy flights so far, probably due to aesthetics of the Falcon Heavy Logo, providing it a greyish look. The overall length of the

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A number of factors delayed the planned maiden flight to 2018, including two anomalies with Falcon 9 launch vehicles, which required all engineering resources to be dedicated to failure analysis, halting flight operations for many months. The integration and structural challenges of combining three

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region. Astranis' microGEO satellite Arcturus was manifested in late September 2021. Following a series of MVac engine burns and long periods of coasting, the upper stage of Falcon Heavy deployed the satellite into a near-geosynchronous orbit at approximately T+4:32:27. The upper stage went on to

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launch profile, not recovering any of the three first-stage boosters. With just the core booster expended, and two side-boosters recovered, Musk estimates the payload penalty to be around 10%, which would still yield over 57 t (126,000 lb) of lift capability to LEO. Returning all three

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In April 2015, SpaceX sent the U.S. Air Force an updated letter of intent outlining a certification process for its Falcon Heavy rocket to launch national security satellites. The process includes three successful flights of the Falcon Heavy including two consecutive successful flights, and the

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rocket". In the same year, with the expected increase in demand for both variants, SpaceX announced plans to expand manufacturing capacity "as we build towards the capability of producing a Falcon 9 first stage or Falcon Heavy side booster every week and an upper stage every two weeks".

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The Block 5-second stage allowed multiple reignitions to place its many payloads in multiple orbits. The launch was planned to include a 5 t (11,000 lb) ballast mass, but the ballast mass was later omitted from the 3.7 t (8,200 lb) total mass for the payload stack.

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vehicle at launch is 70 m (230 ft), and the total fueled mass is 1,420 t (3,130,000 lb). Without recovery of any stage, the Falcon Heavy can theoretically inject a 63.8 t (141,000 lb) payload into a low Earth orbit, or 16.8 t (37,000 lb) to

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In July 2017, Musk discussed publicly the challenges of testing a complex launch vehicle like the three-core Falcon Heavy, indicating that a large extent of the new design "is really impossible to test on the ground" and could not be effectively tested independent of actual

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A year after the successful demo flight, SpaceX had signed five commercial contracts worth US$ 500–750 million, meaning that it had managed to cover the development cost of the rocket. The second flight, and first commercial one, occurred on 11 April 2019, launching

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First classified flight of Falcon Heavy. The contract was awarded to SpaceX for a price of under 30% of that of a typical Delta IV Heavy launch (US$ 440 million). Payload includes two separate satellites and at least three additional rideshare payloads (including

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Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, California, has been awarded a $ 19,226,072 bilateral modification (P00009) to previously awarded Space Force 52 contract FA8811-18-C-0003... ...the total cumulative face value of the contract is $

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a few minutes later. However, only one of the three engines on the center booster that were intended to restart ignited during descent, causing the booster to be destroyed upon impacting the ocean at a speed of over 480 km/h (300 mph).

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known to exist under the surface. The mission cost as of 2011 was projected to be less than US$ 425 million, not including the launch cost. SpaceX 2015 estimation was 2,000–4,000 kg (4,400–8,800 lb) to the surface of Mars, with a soft

3799: 2331:(formerly EELV) certification process for the Falcon Heavy. The original contract price was US$ 165 million, which was later reduced due to the Air Force agreeing to the use of reused side boosters. Secondary payloads include orbiters: 1343:

tank. The second stage tank of Falcon 9 is simply a shorter version of the first stage tank and uses most of the same tooling, material, and manufacturing techniques. This approach reduces manufacturing costs during vehicle production.

8107:"Congrats to Tomi Simola for locating the secret X-37B spaceplane. OTV 7 is in a 323 x 38838 km x 59.1 deg orbit. Could be testing out a new HEO IR sensor for future early warning satellites - just a wild speculation on my part here" 2283:

Heavy communications satellite purchased by the Arab League. All three boosters landed successfully but the center core subsequently fell over and was lost during transport due to heavy seas. The two side-boosters were reused on the

2250:. Both side boosters returned to the launch site and made simultaneous landings; the center core failed to fully relight on landing and crashed into the water adjacent to the droneship, resulting in damage to the vessel's thrusters. 1853:

range of launch systems, capable of lifting 20–50 t (44,000–110,000 lb) into low Earth orbit (LEO), under the classification system used by a NASA human spaceflight review panel. A fully expendable Falcon Heavy is in the

4710: 6826: 8450:"Astrobotic, which is launching its debut lander on Vulcan, said today it is purchasing a Falcon Heavy for its third lander mission to the Moon. This mission will launch an Astrobotic lander to the Moon's South Pole in 2026" 2177:

F4, were launched before the debut of Falcon Heavy. SpaceX anticipated the first commercial Falcon Heavy launch would be three to six months after a successful maiden flight, but due to delays, the first commercial payload,

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certified Falcon Heavy for launching its top secret satellites, with the first such launch being USSF-44 which happened at 1 November 2022; and the second of which being USSF-67, which was launched 11 weeks after USSF-44.

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The nearest competing U.S. rocket was ULA's Delta IV Heavy with a LEO payload capacity of 28.4 t (63,000 lb) costs US$ 12,340 per kg to LEO and US$ 24,630 per kg to GTO. The Delta IV Heavy was retired in 2024.

7585: 995:, specifically to test the triple cores and twenty-seven rocket engines of the Falcon Heavy. By May 2017, SpaceX conducted the first static fire test of flight-design Falcon Heavy center core at the McGregor facility. 9173: 8020: 3830: 1351:, aimed at streamlining the manufacturing process, and each core includes four extensible landing legs. To control the descent of the boosters and center core through the atmosphere, SpaceX uses four retractable 2123:

was $ 97 million. In 2022 NASA contracted with SpaceX to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on a Falcon Heavy for approximately $ 255 million, including launch service and other mission related costs.

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thickness of the moon's icy shell, search for subsurface lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa's ocean. The mission will make flybys of Mars and Earth before arriving at Jupiter in April 2030.

1865:(GTO) payloads up to 12 t (26,000 lb). Later reports in 2011 projected higher payloads beyond LEO, including 19 t (42,000 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit, 16 t (35,000 lb) to 4679: 4231: 2086:

Musk stated in 2016 that crossfeed would not be implemented. Instead, the center booster throttles down shortly after liftoff to conserve fuel, and resumes full thrust after the side boosters have separated.

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This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future

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that guarantees at least two launches on a new Dragon XL resupply spacecraft on top of a Falcon Heavy that will carry over 5 t (11,000 lb) of cargo to Lunar orbit on 6–12 months long missions.

1224:(SLS) program, but NASA decided to exclusively use SLS to launch the Orion capsule. However, Falcon Heavy will support commercial missions for the Artemis program, since it will be used to transport the 8046: 5442: 3079:

had signed the first commercial contract for a Falcon Heavy flight. It was not confirmed at the time when the first Intelsat launch would occur, but the agreement had SpaceX delivering satellites to

3149:(STP-2) mission for Falcon Heavy, originally scheduled to be launched in March 2017, to be placed at a near circular orbit at an altitude of 700 km (430 mi), with an inclination of 70.0°. 7556: 7452: 7364: 3095:

since the 2012 announcement, advertising 8.3 t (18,000 lb) to GTO for its expendable flight profile, enabled the launch of this 6 t satellite without upgrading to a Falcon Heavy variant.

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could be as low as $ 2,200/kg ($ 1,000/lb) if an annual rate of four launches can be sustained, and as of 2011 planned to eventually launch as many as 10 Falcon Heavies and 10 Falcon 9s annually.

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There's a real good chance the vehicle won't make it to orbit ... I hope it makes it far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage. I would consider even that a win, to be honest.

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Falcon Heavy was originally designed with a unique "propellant crossfeed" capability, whereby the center core engines would be supplied with fuel and oxidizer from the two side cores until their

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was successfully launched on 11 April 2019, a year and two months after the first flight. SpaceX hoped to have 10 launches every year from 2021 on, but there were no launches in 2020 or 2021.

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satellite which was scheduled to launch in the 2020–2022 timeframe; however it would not launch until 1 May 2023. On 13 October 2023, Falcon Heavy embarked on its 8th flight carrying NASA's

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core boosters, with an approximate payload-to-LEO capacity of two tons, were initially discussed as early as 2003. The concept for three core booster stages of the company's as-yet-unflown

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Landing Zones and the center core was expended. The second stage had a gray band for thermal purposes due to the mission requirements of a long coast phase between second stage ignitions.

9414: 8876: 5844:"Side boosters landing on droneships & center expended is only ~10% performance penalty vs fully expended. Cost is only slightly higher than an expended F9, so around US$ 95 million" 2957:, awarded in February 2021. Maxar had already made $ 27.5 million in payments to SpaceX for the contract to launch the PPE, but later, NASA decided to launch both PPE and HALO together. 1887:

In April 2017, the projected LEO payload for Falcon Heavy was raised from 54.4 to 63.8 t (120,000 to 141,000 lb). The maximum payload is achieved when the rocket flies a fully

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By September 2017, all three first stage cores had completed their static fire tests on the ground test stand. The first Falcon Heavy static fire test was conducted on 24 January 2018.

7276: 5224: 6818: 889:(which was never flown) had been explored, but the only cost-effective, reliable iteration was one that used a 9-engine first stage—the Falcon 9. The Falcon Heavy was developed using 7487: 5504: 2407:. It was originally scheduled for Q1 2022, but it was delayed due to payload issues to 1 November 2022. Second stage featured a mission extension kit with a gray band painted on the 1861:

The initial concept (Falcon 9-S9 2005) envisioned payloads of 24.75 t (54,600 lb) to LEO, but by April 2011 this was projected to be up to 53 t (117,000 lb) with

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On December 28, 2017, the Falcon Heavy was moved to the launch pad in preparation of a static fire test of all 27 engines, which was expected on 19 January 2018. However, due to the

8403: 8285: 8345: 6659: 6590:"Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn't blow up on ascent" 3064:

This was the first commercial agreement of a Falcon Heavy, and was signed in May 2012. In 2018, the contract option was still maintained but no definitive payload had been chosen.

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was initially targeted to be launched on an SLS rocket. However, due to extensive delays, in 2021 NASA awarded the launch contract to SpaceX for a fully expendable Falcon Heavy.

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experiment investigating the effects of space-based radiation on plant seeds during a long-duration spaceflight., the center core was expended and both side boosters landed

936:'s fuselage and engines. By 2008, SpaceX had been aiming for the first launch of Falcon 9 in 2009, while "Falcon 9 Heavy would be in a couple of years". Speaking at the 2008 11982: 11929: 11924: 11919: 11909: 11904: 11899: 11889: 11884: 8645: 4405: 4349: 4258: 3857: 750:

boosters are attached, and a second stage on top of the center core. Falcon Heavy has the second highest payload capacity of any currently operational launch vehicle behind

7964: 7709: 6463: 11977: 9169: 7250: 5899: 793:, with a mannequin dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat. The second Falcon Heavy launch occurred on 11 April 2019, and all three booster rockets successfully returned to 4952: 3538: 1051:

in June 2015, SpaceX rescheduled the maiden Falcon Heavy flight in September 2015 to occur no earlier than April 2016. The flight was to be launched from the refurbished

8315: 8012: 3822: 9212: 8245: 6768: 6738: 4538: 10170: 10165: 7828: 5110: 4485: 4202:"Falcon Heavy interstage being prepped at the rocket factory. When FH flies next year, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two" 3326:. SpaceX announced in 2017 that propulsive landing for Dragon 2 would not be developed further, and that the capsule would not receive landing legs. Consequently, the 9391: 8507: 6855: 13089: 9312: 8681: 7646: 7525: 4671: 4648: 3795: 2446:

Second classified flight of Falcon Heavy, using a new center core in an expendable configuration (no grid fins or landing gear), while the two reused side-boosters

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By April 2011, the capabilities and performance of the Falcon 9 vehicle were better understood, SpaceX having completed two successful demonstration missions to

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Musk first mentioned Falcon Heavy in a September 2005 news update, referring to a customer request from 18 months prior. Various solutions using the planned

6711: 2107:, a medium-lift launch vehicle that could carry 14 t (31,000 lb) into LEO for US$ 35–50 million. In 2011, SpaceX stated that the cost of reaching 14823:

Symbol indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

8792: 6915: 5583: 1213:. This mission only had the side boosters return to Earth with the center core expended, a decision made to create more tolerable margins for the mission. 7548: 7444: 7360: 3993: 3157:

variant, a further delay to October 2018 was announced, and the launch was eventually pushed to 25 June 2019. The STP-2 mission used three Block 5 cores.

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Conference, Musk also indicated that he expected a hydrogen-fueled upper stage would follow two to three years later (which would have been around 2013).

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The Space Force said its USSF-67 mission, which the military says will launch into geosynchronous orbit like USSF-44, is currently scheduled for January.

5948: 10323: 7608: 6563: 7798: 7308: 2483: 9597: 4979: 4512: 15530: 12288: 10491: 10255: 7391: 6532: 5246: 2021: 9286: 5015: 3883: 1252:(CLPS) initiative. Scheduled on October 10, 2024, Falcon Heavy is to transport NASA's "Europa Clipper" into space to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. 12954: 6941: 4916: 10277: 9543: 7925: 6420: 12059: 11444: 9085: 8367: 8152: 7334: 2348: 11454: 11396: 11381: 9036: 1118:

On 6 February 2018, after a delay of over two hours due to high winds, Falcon Heavy lifted off at 20:45 UTC. Its side boosters landed safely on

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In July 2017, Elon Musk said, "It actually ended up being way harder to do Falcon Heavy than we thought. ... We were pretty naive about that".

9063: 8898: 8759: 8732: 8076: 3164:(NSSL) contracts, which includes several launches and a vertical integration facility and development of a larger fairing, from 2024 to 2027. 7272: 5415: 5220: 5976:"Considering trying to bring upper stage back on Falcon Heavy demo flight for full reusability. Odds of success low, but maybe worth a shot" 4622: 14390: 12838: 8955: 7581: 7479: 7421: 5500: 4058: 10591:* denotes unflown vehicles or engines, and future missions or sites. † denotes failed missions, destroyed vehicles, and abandoned sites. 10341: 8393: 6492: 6341: 4155: 14854: 14430: 14395: 14385: 8277: 6651: 5639: 9436: 8575: 7746: 7169: 7139: 7103: 6247: 5386: 5045: 4790:"Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on February 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy. Easy viewing from the public causeway" 3501: 10764: 10627: 10435: 10160: 9508: 8615: 2270: 2186: 1147: 6394: 4733: 2375: 12131: 11604: 8842: 7119: 6086:""Does FH expendable performance include crossfeed?" "No cross feed. It would help performance, but is not needed for these numbers"" 4587: 3634: 3448: 9620: 8471: 3744: 2605:. Core expended, two boosters recovered to land. No gray band on second stage as the flight plan did not include long coast phases. 221: 12698: 11846: 10570: 10187: 6363: 6273: 5075: 4890: 3443: 8641: 8129: 7960: 4481: 4401: 4345: 4254: 2351:. Successfully reused the boosters from the second Falcon Heavy flight. Center core failed to land on the droneship and was lost. 13981: 13069: 10235: 7699: 6456: 5723: 5672: 3966: 3235: 3227: 2052:, that applies to parts of Falcon Heavy as well. Early on, SpaceX had expressed hopes that all rocket stages would eventually be 1265: 1052: 304: 9255: 8671: 7246: 6685: 5895: 1192:

rocket version as it had become powerful enough to lift those heavy payloads in its expendable configuration. In June 2022, the

10227: 9009: 8704: 7889: 7855: 7198: 5762: 5481:(Report). Vol. 1. Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation. pp. 2–3. Archived from 4942: 3534: 12281: 12034: 11544: 10620: 10365: 10147: 9743: 9205: 8307: 6764: 6734: 5164:

https://investors.viasat.com/news-releases/news-release-details/viasat-spacex-enter-contract-future-viasat-3-satellite-launch

4534: 3114:, was switched to a Falcon 9 Full Thrust due to the increased liftoff capacity. The remaining contract covered the launch of 2057: 1220:

of returning humans to the Moon, the Falcon Heavy rocket has been mentioned several times as an alternative to the expensive

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launch vehicle. In December 2016, SpaceX released a photo showing the Falcon Heavy interstage at the company headquarters in

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The initial test flight for the first Falcon Heavy lifted off on 6 February 2018, at 20:45 UTC, carrying its dummy payload,

15535: 13436: 12979: 12947: 10784: 9395: 8815: 7638: 6851: 5701: 5334: 5304: 3853: 3585: 3438: 797:. The third Falcon Heavy launch successfully occurred on 25 June 2019. Since then, Falcon Heavy has been certified for the 11184: 9308: 8503: 7517: 7011: 6908:"Rocket Launch Viewing at Cape Canaveral: Where & How to Watch, View and See Atlas 5, Delta 4 & Falcon 9 Launches" 6120: 6062: 6036: 5360: 5175: 4282:"First static fire test of a Falcon Heavy center core completed at our McGregor, TX rocket development facility last week" 3633:

Ahmad, Taseer; Ammar, Ahmed; Kamara, Ahmed; Lim, Gabriel; Magowan, Caitlin; Todorova, Blaga; Tse, Yee Cheung; White, Tom.

13604: 13426: 12854: 12649: 12639: 12561: 10192: 9116: 6885: 6147: 4767: 3773: 3131: 2450:. The second stage had a gray band for thermal purposes as the mission requirements were similar to the USSF-44 mission. 2311: 2026: 1101:, the testing and launch were further delayed. The static fire test was conducted on 24 January 2018. Musk confirmed via 952: 896:

with Musk stating that the cost was more than US$ 500 million. No government financing was provided for its development.

9483: 8549: 7676: 7037: 6791: 6457:"Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Falcon Launches at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station" 6311: 6009: 4857: 4565: 4458: 13701: 11731: 11594: 11573: 11498: 10496: 10224: 10003: 9143: 3906: 2590:

Falcon Heavy launched the 2.6 t (5,700 lb) Psyche orbiter mission into a heliocentric orbit. From there, the

2035: 1037: 8788: 6196: 6169: 5925: 5816: 5193: 4205: 4093: 12049: 10450: 10249: 7742: 4313:"Falcon Heavy's 3 first stage cores have all completed testing at our rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas" 3703: 3183:(GPIM) was a payload; it is a project partly developed by the U.S. Air Force to demonstrate a less-toxic propellant. 3180: 3142: 2873: 2728: 2336: 1249: 1029: 837: 314: 9365: 5784: 2651:

Third classified flight of Falcon Heavy, awarded in June 2018. This mission will be the fourth flight of the second

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of the Department of Defense included 25 small spacecraft from the U.S. military, NASA, and research institutions:

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One of those missions, USSF 44, had been tentatively scheduled for late June, but has been postponed indefinitely.

6144:"Spacelift Washington: International Space Transportation Association Faltering; The myth of US$ 10,000 per pound" 4644: 4124: 3935: 1364:. The four legs stow along the sides of each core during liftoff and extend outward and down just before landing. 948: 15525: 14847: 14807: 12940: 12586: 12415: 10419: 10310: 7221:"Falcon overloaded with knowledge – Falcon Heavy rocket under the Space Test Program 2 scheduled in October 2016" 6707: 4178: 3219: 1855: 1818: 1041: 1025: 11682: 6907: 5575: 3314:

concept, SpaceX was seeing potential for Falcon Heavy and Dragon 2 to carry science payloads across much of the

1055:. The flight was postponed again to late 2016, early 2017, summer 2017, late 2017 and finally to February 2018. 808:, although as of February 2018, SpaceX does not intend to transport people on Falcon Heavy, nor pursue the 14984: 13520: 13351: 13287: 12974: 11589: 11529: 10177: 7224: 3989: 3161: 2328: 798: 9335: 4371: 3281:

that would use a Falcon Heavy as the launch vehicle and trans-Martian injection vehicle, and a variant of the

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boosters to the launch site rather than landing them on drone ships would yield about 30 t of payload to LEO.

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The observatory will begin operations after travelling to a gravitational balance point known as Earth-Sun L2

6555: 3231: 3080: 2226: 2068: 1134:. Later, observations by telescopes showed that the Roadster would only slightly exceed the orbit of Mars at 1071: 874: 786: 181: 11711: 8210: 3796:"Air Force certified Falcon Heavy for national security launch but more work needed to meet required orbits" 2247: 1296: 10440: 9858: 9776: 9593: 8924: 4508: 3677: 3607: 3347: 3154: 2920: 2487: 2116: 1862: 1826: 1292: 1271:

Falcon Heavy consists of a structurally strengthened Falcon 9 as the "core" component, with two additional

1233: 1177: 12136: 7387: 6524: 4943:"A year after the colossal SpaceX rocket's debut, Falcon Heavy has 'high value' uses – despite skepticism" 3357:

In March 2020, Falcon Heavy won the first award to a resupply mission to the Lunar Gateway, placing a new

1094:. He released pictures in the following days. The car had three cameras attached to provide "epic views". 955:

in Washington, D.C., on 5 April 2011, Musk stated that Falcon Heavy would "carry more payload to orbit or

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that can carry cargo into Earth orbit, and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American

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mission to a metallic asteroid; it launched on 13 October 2023. The contract was worth US$ 117 million.

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By late 2013, SpaceX raised the projected GTO payload for Falcon Heavy to 21.2 t (47,000 lb).

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The Falcon Launch Vehicle – An Attempt at Making Access to Space More Affordable, Reliable and Pleasant

3243: 3019: 2993: 2979: 1716: 1626: 809: 778: 8427:"Confirmed that the SSC table is correct. ULA is launching USSF-57 and SpaceX is launching GPS IIIF-1" 3298: 1806:. However, because of the structural limitations the maximum weight Falcon Heavy can lift is reduced. 1327:) (TEA-TEB). The interstage, which connects the upper and lower stage for Falcon 9, is a carbon fiber 14802: 14792: 13111: 12832: 12113: 12066: 10794: 10789: 10288: 10199: 9032: 3223: 2638: 2618: 2429: 2371: 1850: 1033: 1021: 782: 728: 310: 54: 11131: 8179:"SpaceX will launch the Space Force's mysterious X-37B space plane on a Falcon Heavy rocket Dec. 10" 7066: 6218: 5132: 971:

In 2015, SpaceX announced a number of changes to the Falcon Heavy rocket, worked in parallel to the

828: 14907: 14464: 13240: 12644: 12012: 10209: 9998: 9822: 9170:"Space Force awards National Security Space Launch Phase 2 launch service contracts to ULA, SpaceX" 8068: 7609:"Falcon Heavy rocket on the launch pad for one of SpaceX's most complex missions – Spaceflight Now" 2042: 1888: 1520: 1112: 1015: 988: 774: 363: 42: 11347: 11013: 5411: 4618: 15009: 13557: 12920: 12624: 12614: 12604: 12054: 10727: 10445: 7361:"US Space Force TETRA-1 Satellite Prepared for Launch After 15-month Integration – Parabolic Arc" 5872: 4027: 3303: 3187: 3135: 2882: 2340: 2325: 1477: 1070:

In December 2017, Musk tweeted that the dummy payload on the maiden Falcon Heavy launch would be

732: 7413: 4054: 15330: 15058: 14683: 14338: 14265: 14055: 14028: 14023: 13706: 13669: 12995: 12827: 12581: 12544: 12539: 12297: 11560: 10649: 10564: 9941: 9718: 7504:... All of the delays to the upcoming Falcon Heavy missions have been caused by payload issues. 6488: 6333: 5785:"Feasibility of a Dragon-derived Mars lander for scientific and human-precursor investigations" 5632: 5016:"Rideshare mission for U.S. military confirmed as second Falcon Heavy launch – Spaceflight Now" 4858:"SpaceX Landed the Falcon Heavy's Two Boosters, But Its Core Clipped Its Drone Ship at 300 MPH" 4151: 2150: 2053: 2048:

From 2013 to 2016, SpaceX conducted parallel development of a reusable rocket architecture for

2031: 1176:(DoD Space Test Program) payload. The payload was composed of 25 small spacecraft. Operational 736: 1821:

barge after completion of primary mission requirements. These systems include four deployable

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that the test "was good" and later announced the rocket would be launched on 6 February 2018.

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At a July 2017 meeting of the International Space Station Research and Development meeting in

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and to drill 1 m (3.3 ft) or so underground, in an effort to sample reservoirs of

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