The huge rocket described as “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two” is in position on a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center as SpaceX engineers make the final preparations for what promises to be a spectacular static-fire engine test.
Should the procedure go according to plan, we could be just weeks away from witnessing the Falcon Heavy set off on its maiden mission all the way to Mars.
Reusable rocket system
The Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets with a single upper stage, and in terms of power is beaten only by the Saturn V rocket that once took astronauts to the moon. Incorporating SpaceX’s tried-and-tested reusable rocket system, the Heavy’s various separation processes are designed to take place soon after launch, with all three boosters landing back on Earth.
But SpaceX CEO Elon Musk knows that if Tuesday’s test proves successful, the debut mission that would follow soon after is a monumental challenge, noting last year that there’s “a real good chance” the unmanned Falcon Heavy won’t even make it into orbit.
If it does all go to plan, the rocket will be taking Musk’s cherry-red Tesla Roadster all the way to the red planet, where the CEO claims it could remain in orbit for a billion years. Musk earlier said he wanted to send “the silliest thing we can imagine,” adding that he loved the thought of a car “drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future.”
“Beast” of a rocket
Considering the size and power of the Falcon Heavy, it’s little surprise that Musk himself describes it as a “beast.” The first stage of the 230-feet-tall (70 meters) rocket comprises “three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at lift-off, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft,” SpaceX says on its website.
While the Falcon 9 is designed for shorter missions, its big brother “restores the possibility of flying missions with crew to the moon or Mars,” SpaceX says.
In the summer of 2017, Musk teased the launch of the Falcon Heavy in an animation posted on Instagram, though at that time SpaceX had been hoping to launch the rocket a couple of months later. With so much at stake, however, it’s little surprise that preparations are stretching out, though we could be just weeks from seeing the rocket head spaceward for the very first time.
A lot depends on how the all-important engine test goes on Tuesday. SpaceX doesn’t look as if it’ll be live-streaming the event, though you can watch it at Spaceflight Now with a subscription.
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