{"id":98449,"date":"2018-03-12T16:07:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T16:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=98449"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:36:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:36:51","slug":"why-the-falcon-heavy-launch-is-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/why-the-falcon-heavy-launch-is-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Falcon Heavy launch is so important"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On February 18th this year, Elon Musk changed space exploration forever. In a launch sequence of nail-biting intensity, millions of people around the world watched as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sB_nEtZxPog\">SpaceX&#8217;s Falcon Heavy rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral<\/a> with Musk\u2019s Tesla Roadster onboard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The launch was YouTube\u2019s second most watched live event (Felix Baumgartner\u2019s stratospheric jump is number 1), and it\u2019s easy to see why. Firing an electric vehicle into space \u2013 complete with a spacesuited dummy called \u201cStarman\u201d and a couple of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sI66hcu9fIs\">Bowie\u2019s hits<\/a> on repeat \u2013 is no mean feat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-98450 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/1200px-Elon_Musks_Tesla_Roadster_40110297852.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And while the payload might seem like a slick piece of marketing, it proves how one person\u2019s vision (backed by a team of talented engineers\u00a0and investors) can revitalize a flagging industry. SpaceX is doing for aerospace what Tesla did for electric vehicles and could be the beginning of affordable interplanetary travel.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To understand just how important the Falcon Heavy launch is, you have to look at three things: the technology, the cost, and what it means for the future of space travel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;&lt;!-- Shortcode [program] does not exist --&gt;&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:1,&quot;3&quot;:[null,0]}\"><div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Google Earth\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/89bea6ea-96d9-11e6-87f8-00163ed833e7\/740056819\/google-earth-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Google Earth<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-earth.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Google Earth<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--70\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"70\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"7\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-earth.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world. At sea level, its thrusters generate 15,130,000 lbf (pounds of force), roughly the same as eighteen 747 aircraft at full power. That\u2019s an incredible amount of lift and means the Falcon Heavy can carry almost 64 metric tonnes into orbit \u2013 more than double the amount of any other rocket in operation today. That means more people, satellites, equipment, and bigger shuttles and capsules.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98630\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Falcon_Heavy_Demo_Mission_40126461851-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Falcon_Heavy_Demo_Mission_40126461851-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Falcon_Heavy_Demo_Mission_40126461851-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Falcon_Heavy_Demo_Mission_40126461851-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Falcon_Heavy_Demo_Mission_40126461851-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even more impressive is that the Falcon Heavy is semi-reusable. Its side boosters are designed to return to Earth once they\u2019ve separated from the core post-launch \u2013 even the core should return safely once the payload has been delivered, making this the most sustainable space venture ever. While it&#8217;s been\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bvim4rsNHkQ\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tricky to get right<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it will save money and produce less space junk.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center;width:100%\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\nvar google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\nvar google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\nvar google_ad_width = 300;\r\nvar google_ad_height = 250;\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both side boosters returned to their landing pads in the most recent launch, but the core hit the sea due to engine failure. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the core\u2019s malfunction, the mission was an overwhelming success \u2013 not least because it\u2019s proven how much SpaceX can do for such low costs. The Falcon Heavy costs around $90 million per flight. The next comparable rocket is the Delta IV Heavy, which can\u2019t carry as much, but costs a hefty $350 million per flight. SpaceX is making space travel affordable, without any government aid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-98631 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/31579784413_d853331601_z.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/31579784413_d853331601_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/31579784413_d853331601_z-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When NASA\u2019s funding dried up, the US was stuck with rovers and satellites. Astronauts have had to hitch rides on Russian spacecraft. Now Musk has demonstrated what the private sector can do; the US may make a triumphant return to the space race. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Musk\u2019s vision for affordable space travel is, he believes, the key to extraterrestrial colonization and resource mining. That&#8217;s still some way off in the future, but it\u2019s no longer out of reach. And who knows, by the time cosmic rays, solar radiation, and micro-asteroids break apart Musk\u2019s Roadster, the first astronauts might be touching down on Mars for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;&lt;!-- Shortcode [program] does not exist --&gt;&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:1,&quot;3&quot;:[null,0]}\"><div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Google Earth\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/89bea6ea-96d9-11e6-87f8-00163ed833e7\/740056819\/google-earth-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Google Earth<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-earth.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Google Earth<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--70\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"70\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"7\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-earth.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On February 18th this year, Elon Musk changed space exploration forever. In a launch sequence of nail-biting intensity, millions of people around the world watched as SpaceX&#8217;s Falcon Heavy rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral with Musk\u2019s Tesla Roadster onboard. The launch was YouTube\u2019s second most watched live event (Felix Baumgartner\u2019s stratospheric jump is number &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/why-the-falcon-heavy-launch-is-so-important\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Why the Falcon Heavy launch is so important&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9103,"featured_media":98633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-98449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328190,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98449\/revisions\/328190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98449"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=98449"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=98449"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=98449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}