Last week , we were cover to the rather magnificent moment when SpaceX landedone of its reusable rocketsfor the first prison term , possibly ushering in a fresh low - cost epoch in spaceflight .
But later this year , we ’re expecting something even more telling . The troupe is design to launch its new heavy - ski tow rocket , the Falcon Heavy , by the death of the summer , and in a serial of tweet Musk enunciate they might render pretty much the whole rocket to the ground .
SpaceX has now performed nine landings of its Falcon 9 rocket . But each landing place regard just the first stage of the skyrocket , the bottom booster used to give it that first big energy towards space .
To accomplish its end of full reusability , SpaceX finally want to start landing the other role of the garden rocket too , admit the upper stage that gives the payload its encouragement into orbit . This has n’t been done before , but it could be a game - modifier if it influence . And it seems they ’re blend in to try it on this flight of stairs .
It ’s not completely clear how the landing place will make for out , though . The Falcon Heavy will fundamentally consist of three Falcon 9 boosters strapped together , and we know SpaceX can land those . Two of the boosters on this first falcon Heavy test flight will really bereflown boosters .
But whether all three will domain is n’t clear . SpaceX can land on the ground at its Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral in Florida , or on its two droning ships – Of Course I Still Love YouandJust Read The Instructions – so it ’s catch some option .
As for the upper stage , Musk hinted that this may generate in asimilar wayto its Dragon abridgment . This suggests it may expend parachutes or thruster to slosh down in the sea . It ’ll have quite a piece of speed when it detaches from the first stage , so it could even orb Earth several times before it returns .
What a Falcon Heavy launching might look like . notice , the upper stage does n’t return in this video
Once it starts take flight , Falcon Heavywill be the most muscular rocket salad in operation – and second only to the Saturn V in history . It will be capable to take 54,400 kilograms ( 119,900 pounds ) to moo Earth orbit , compare to 28,790 kg ( 63,470 lb ) for the Delta IV Heavy , the world ’s current most powerful skyrocket .
This first flying will only be a test , so the rocket is unlikely to carry anything useful . Musksaidit would carry the “ silliest affair we can image , ” perhaps similar to the inaugural flight of stairs of the Dragon spacecraft , which carry a bike of cheese in honor of Monty Python .
We ’ve been waiting quite a long time for this Falcon Heavy launch , it having been delayed for several old age . But it looks like it might be worth the wait .
