The most powerful rocket this generation has ever seen, SpaceX’s new Falcon Heavy rocket, launches no earlier than December, 2017 according to the Kennedy Space Center.
The Falcon Heavy can lift over double the payload, or cargo, as the next closest rocket, as it is designed for potential human spaceflight—perhaps back to the Moon or even Mars in the future.
Nasaspaceflight.com is reporting Dec 29, 2017 as the target launch date.
SpaceX is attempting to land all three first stages of the rocket: two on land at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and one on the droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, in the Atlantic Ocean.
The weight of the Falcon Heavy requires the installation of compression bridges at the launch pad that will help hold and distribute the weight of Falcon Heavy.
SpaceX will also install four Tail Service Masts (TSMs) for Falcon Heavy. The TSMs are positioned at the base of the TEL reaction frame and provide electrical, data, and propellant servicing connections for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters. Two TSMs are needed for each booster – one that brings RP-1 kerosene and one that brings LOX (Liquid Oxygen) to and from the boosters.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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Knowing that you paid trolls up vote each other I see you have fields with the same interests…
China has cut satellite launch price from $10 000/kg to $5,000/kg using reusable vehicles, SpaceX needs to real innovative in addition to PR to win market share.
Reusable vehicles? which ones?
Joe needs to put down his reusable crack pipe. either that or he is the most elaborate troll in the history of this forum and that’s saying something.
DF Heavy. Never heard of it? Now you know what is the great firewall of the Five-eyes.
Next up is the B.F.R. and 45 minute trips almost anywhere on earth
Who are you misarable sex obsessed creature? Gotten your $$ from Kremlin yet? Go kiss Putin’s ahole, you should enjoy that very much.
Ouch, my rear is very painful after my recent triple penetration
Knowing that you paid trolls up vote each other I see you have friends with the same interests…
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30 days before seeing FH assembled, 45 before actually seeing her on the launch pad, 50/55 days before a first static fire and hopefully is all goes well her maiden flight by the end of december or the first few days of 2018. Hopefully the AFTS won’t give us fireworks before New year’s Day…
IF the launch is nominal, technically a private enterprise will be the only entity on Earth capable of sending a crewed capsule to the Moon on a free return trajectory. That gives
the magnitude of what happening. Of course they are on “the shoulders of giants” (including NASA) but given such a flight is booked for 2019 (two paying customers), they could
return to the Moon at least 4 years before NASA does and possibly on Mars 20/30 years before NASA…
The future of this rocket seems neither great nor bleak. No more expendable F9, tourism (Elon said they were more than 2 people interested in flight around the Moon), experimenting with the second stage to find the best sequence to return from orbital velocity, big military payloads we’ll know about at liftoff.
But if they don’t nail the problem of launching a triple core with 27 engines within the 2/3 flights, I predict “R.I.P” for her and all cash directed to BFR. We”ll know pretty soon what the future holds.
Twitter’s list of 2,752 Russian trolls
https://www.recode.net/2017/11/2/16598312/russia-twitter-trump-twitter-deactivated-handle-list
But I think this vehicle will not be used all that much. BFR is the future and FH is just a stepping stone.
If depends. If FH works well, it will bring a new capability to the COTS launch market, one which will be used as long as there are no better options.
It could launch very heavy things into space, or many lighter ones at a time, it could take capsules around the Moon or landers to its surface. It can send satellites and rovers to Mars or probes into interplanetary space. And at a much lower price than SLS.
Gee, it could give a ride to the long awaited Europa lander mission, or send blimp drones to Titan. It’s only a matter of finding a willing customer with a probe and the coin to launch it.
This rocket could drive the whole manned and unmanned existing space market by itself, only considering its payload and features.
Of course, it won’t. There are too many interests vested on having “options” (expensive sweetheart contracts to preserve) and on national pride projects.
And there is BFR, which will take over its market completely if it delivers on its touted features and even marginally on its expected cost savings.
But BFR ETA and actual success also depends on FH being successful. The only way forward for SpaceX is to prove their capability of building bigger things with clear proven milestones, and FH represents such a milestone.
BFR could also be late, and in the meantime, FH could help cement SpaceX and USA supremacy in space launchers.
Hoping to see this beast on launch pad soon.
If they manage to land all three boosters on the first try, despite the new configuration, I think everybody is going to have to admit they’ve got that particular problem licked.
So, it’ll be, “Two if by land and one if by sea?”
I hereby and forthwith demand a four way split screen so that I can watch all the side boosters land while the the center stage is on its way down and the second stage is on its way up.
I seen that before… It’s called VOLTRON
Musk: “And I’ll form the head! Good job, team!”
The simulation graphic was called “Engineering Porn”. Enjoy!
Did you expect to see something other than simulation graphic before the launch?