FALCON HEAVY
FALCON HEAVY - "The World’s Most Powerful Rocket!"
Amazing successful Maiden flight on Tuesday 6th February 2018 ( click here for Blog of Maiden flight )
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One of THE MOST IMPORTANT successful tests of the Falcon Heavy was the second burn of the second stage after the rocket had passed through the radiation of the Van Allen belts powering the Tesla Roadster payload into an orbit that goes out pass Mars orbit towards the asteroid belt..
Falcon Heavy (FH) Launched 6 Feb 2018 (was launch target Jan 2018 (Gwynne Shotwell COO said of 9 March now Mid 2017 ) September 2016 (as of 1Feb2016 postponed from May 2016 ) was to be 2017 (5 years of delays, after all this IS rocket science)
Falcon Heavy 20 Dec 2017 (Ready for 6 Feb 2018 Maiden Flight)
A successful return to flight in Dec 2015 (since June 2015 2nd stage failure) with the new updated version Falcon 9.2 has helped but proved the need for additional refinements to the FH design.
The F9 is waiting for a return to flight after the Sept 2016 fueling test mishap, 2017.
The latest FH design now supports 63.8 metric Tons to LEO (144,660lbs)
Falcon Heavy | Flight Animation
The Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida some time towards the end of 2015 (then September 2016) Now Jan 2018 from mid 2017
The mission was previously scheduled to be flown out of Vandenberg.
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Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.– SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) today took another major step toward the first launch of the Falcon Heavy. This will be the world’s most powerful rocket, with more than twice the payload-to-orbit capacity of the space shuttle, but at only one third the cost of the Boeing/Lockheed Delta IV Heavy. The Falcon Heavy will be the first ever rocket to break the $1,000-per-pound-to-orbit barrier, less than a tenth as much as the Shuttle.
SpaceX CEO and chief rocket designer Elon Musk was joined by California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, 30th Space Wing Commander Colonel Richard W. Boltz and Lompoc Mayor John Linn to break ground on a new launch site for the Falcon Heavy–Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Falcon Heavy, along with SpaceX’s medium-lift Falcon 9, offers the next generation of launch capability to the US Air Force, NASA, and commercial satellite companies at revolutionary costs. With a launch site at Vandenberg and the world’s largest rocket, SpaceX will be ready to compete for the full range of US government business, provided competition is allowed. Currently, United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed, has a sole-source monopoly contract for Defence Department business.
“These are difficult fiscal times for our federal government and the Falcon vehicles can save the Department of Defense almost $2 billion per year in launch costs, while increasing reliability and capability,” said Musk. “This presents a great opportunity for the DoD to avoid cancelling other programs and minimize reductions in personnel as budgets contract.”
Falcon Heavy was to arrive at Vandenberg by early-mid 2014 (originally to have been the end of 2012), and its inaugural flight was to follow soon after. This date became mid 2015(then April/May 2016 for KSC, now mid 2017). When it flies it will be the most powerful rocket in the world since the Saturn V, which launched the Apollo spacecraft to the moon. The SpaceX launch vehicle boasts 3.8 million pounds of thrust from its 27 engines–equivalent to fifteen 747s at full power.
The first flight from SLC-4E (previously known as PALC2-4–Point Arguello Launch Complex) was Aug. 14, 1964, when a National Reconnaissance Office KH-7 satellite launched atop an Atlas-Agena D. The last vehicle to launch from this site was a Titan IV carrying a NRO B-26 payload on Oct. 19, 2005.
Vandenberg AFB has been the proving ground for US defense vehicles for more than half a century, from the critical Intercontinental Ballistic Missile testing that helped win the Cold War to mighty launch vehicles like the aforementioned Titan. The Falcon family of launch vehicles will continue this rich tradition, with its wide range of capabilities for the NRO and other Department of Defense agencies, NASA and other civil customers, as well as commercial customers.
FH1 interstage being prepped (Dec 2016)
This interstage connects the first stage central stick of the FH booster with the FH second stage.
In the meantime progress on the massive and totally reusable interplanetary booster is progressing well (See ITS and Starship BFR)
SpaceX methane-fueled Raptor rocket engine to be tested at NASA's Stennis on the E-2 Test Stand around June 2014 . (see Stennis Space Center )
Update: First Raptor test was 25 Sept 2016(successful completed)
There were tentative plans to use the Raptor engine on a future version of the FH but this is now unlikely as a move to the fully reusable ITS(Now Starship was BFR) booster make more sense.
Testing of the Raptor V2.0 engines have been progressing well in 2022 at SpaceX's MacGregor Texas Test site.
Falcon Heavy Manifest
6th Feb 2018 SpaceX the maiden flight of the FH without any functional payload, to be followed by the first launch with a payload for the US Air Force consisting of the US air force ISAT and also no less than 10 other smaller Satellites DSX, FormoSat-7 A/B/C/D/E/F, LightSail 2, GPIM and DSAC.
The 6th Feb 2018 Maiden launch is going towards Mars Orbit with Elon's Cherry red Tesla Roadster including a space suit"Starman), with a model of the roadster on the dash, a copy of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a towel, and a sign that says “Don’t Panic.” a data disk containing Issac Asimov Foundation books and also all the names of 6000 SpaceX employees and a Pie.
May 2018 was to bring the much anticipated first flight of Red Dragon to Mars, but has been cancelled to concentrate on development of the Super Heavy Starship (was BFR),
Also slated for 2018 is the commercial ArabSat 6A.
Three more FH launches for 2020 Mars Cargo 1*, Mars Cargo 2* and the commercial launch of ViaSat-3.
Five more FH launches for 2022 are currently planned
* Mars Cargo missions delayed until 2022 or more likely 2024 to use the Super Heavy and Starship (was BFR).