Items tagged with falcon heavy
SpaceX excited fans and upset scientists at the same time when it launched the first Falcon Heavy rocket over a year ago. The launch itself was spectacular as the company used the Falcon Heavy launch to push Elon Musk's own Tesla Roadster into space with a stuffed SpaceX spacesuit behind the wheel that was dubbed Starman. Keeping with true Elon Musk style, the Roadster had "Don't Panic" written on the navigation screen as a nod to the iconic "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" book. We have now learned that the duo has completed their first orbit around the Sun. It has been about 557 days since the launch of Starman and his Roadster into space, and so far it has traveled about 762 million...
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SpaceX has been very busy. In April it launched the second Falcon Heavy mission to push the Arabsat 6A satellite into orbit. In May another rocket sent 60 SpaceX Starlink microsatellites into orbit. And SpaceX is set to launch its next Falcon Heavy mission soon, and this one will be carrying a wide range of payloads. The mission is called Space Test Program-2 and is set to lift off between 11:30 p.m. ET on June 24 and 2:30 a.m. June 25 depending on the weather. The oddest thing that the Falcon Heavy will be pushing into orbit is for a company called Celestis. Celestis makes arrangements for cremated remains of deceased loved ones to be sent into space. Families can decide to send capsules with...
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The scientists and engineers of SpaceX love to smash records. Their list of “firsts” is impressive and includes the first ever propulsive landing for an orbital rocket. Now, not only did SpaceX land three rocket boosters yesterday after their Falcon Heavy launch, but they have also received a NASA contract for an asteroid redirect mission. Footage of the landing the Falcon Heavy side boosters SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket was launched yesterday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida shortly after 6pm EST. This was the first time SpaceX landed all three of the Falcon Heavy rocket boosters. The two side boosters landed simultaneously and the center core booster...
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SpaceX is currently preparing for the second launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket. After the spectacular success of the first Falcon Heavy launch, there is quite a bit of pressure for SpaceX to perform just as well again. The Falcon Heavy rocket is currently set to launch on April 7th, but some fear that its launch will be delayed. This delay could be terribly inconvenient for both SpaceX and the 100,000 spectators that are expected to flock to Cape Canaveral this weekend. The Falcon Heavy is expected to launch between 6:36 p.m. through 8:35 p.m. EST on April 7th. It will blast off from the historic Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket will...
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Fresh off the historic launch of Falcon Heavy earlier this year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is once again making big claims about what he wants to do next with his company. While speaking at the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas over the weekend, Musk claimed that SpaceX will launch a spacecraft towards Mars as soon as next year. “I can tell you what I know currently is the case is that we are building the first ship, the first Mars interplanetary ship right now,” said Musk. “And I think we’ll be able to do short flights, sort of up-and-down flights, probably some time in the first half of next year." Musk is known for his wildly optimistic projections with regards to launches...
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Well, SpaceX has done it! The company's monstrous Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from the LC-39A launchpad at Cape Canaveral this afternoon, sending CEO Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster on an elliptical orbit around the Sun and Mars. There were many unanswered questions before the launch and skepticism, with Murk especially worried about vibrations and the interplay between the three boosters at launch. However, things apparently went off without a hitch. As scheduled, two of the Falcon 9 boosters performed boost back burns once separated from the central booster, and made perfect simultaneous landings back at Cape Canaveral Air Force based on the Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 pads. The...
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All eyes will be on Cape Canaveral early Tuesday afternoon when SpaceX will attempt to launch its long-awaited Falcon Heavy rocket. The company's existing Falcon 9 rocket is pretty much a known quantity at this point, and had a stellar record in 2017. However, strapping together what are essentially three Falcon 9 cores and launching the whole shebang into space is an incredible engineering feat that even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk isn't certain that his company can pull off tomorrow. However, if everything does go according to plan, SpaceX will attempt another first -- it will try to recover all three boosters after successfully pushing its payload into orbit. According to SpaceX, the two side boosters...
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We finally have an official launch date, and if all goes according to plan, Falcon Heavy will [hopefully] blast off from the LC-39A launchpad on February 6th, 2018. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the exciting news earlier today via Twitter. The first launch of Falcon Heavy has been in the works for years. SpaceX had originally hoped to get the heavy-lift vehicle off the ground in 2013, which was then later pushed to 2014. And now here we are in 2018 with the first flight less than two weeks away. Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on Feb 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy. Easy viewing from the public causeway. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2018 This past Wednesday,...
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Falcon Heavy has passed another critical milestone on the way to its maiden flight. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter this afternoon that Falcon Heavy the static fire "was good" and that it generated "quite a thunderhead of steam" in the process. Falcon Heavy hold-down firing this morning was good. Generated quite a thunderhead of steam. Launching in a week or so. pic.twitter.com/npaqatbNir— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 24, 2018 The Falcon Heavy is a towering presence, sitting in all its monstrous glory on the LC-39A launchpad -- the very same launchpad that was used to send astronauts to the moon courtesy of Saturn V rockets. Falcon Heavy consists of three primary Falcon 9 cores, each...
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Space enthusiasts have been waiting for SpaceX to "light up" its Falcon Heavy rocket. Once operational, the Falcon Heavy will be the world's most powerful rocket, capable of putting 120,000 pounds of cargo into low earth orbit. However, the ongoing government shutdown has put on the brakes with regards to SpaceX's race to the blast the rocket off into space. In order for SpaceX to accomplish static engines tests -- in which the Falcon Heavy fires its engines at full throttle while it is restrained on the launch pad -- the company needs support services from the US Air Force at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). However, the government shutdown means that a large number of the people responsible...
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It's happening! Some pessimists thought that Falcon Heavy would never see the light of day, but here we are in early January 2018 and the launch vehicle is looking in tip-top shape for its planned launch later this month. SpaceX today delivered pictures and video of Falcon Heavy standing upright on its LC-39A launchpad (the same pad that was used to launch the Saturn V rockets that help put men on the moon). While the Falcon Heavy looks like its primed for its maiden flight, it is actually being physically restrained on the pad for static fire tests. During these tests, the Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin engines will be fired to monitor their performance (hopefully there will be no Space Camp-esque...
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A few weeks ago, Elon Musk announced his plans to launch a Tesla Roadster into space on the maiden flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. Musk stated in a tweet, "Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent." It seemed like an absurd thing for Musk to announce, and many took it to be a joke. After all, why would he want to send an electric car into orbit around Mars? But, given that Musk doesn't expect that Falcon Heavy's first launch to be a resounding success, it's within reason that Musk wouldn't mind parting with what was Tesla's first ever production...
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SpaceX has had considerable success in 2017 with numerous launches of its Falcon 9 rocket. The company has managed to survive through [most of] 2017 without any mishaps, and has successfully recovered every Falcon 9 rocket [for missions where this parameter was stipulated] either by land or by sea. However, one thing that SpaceX hasn’t done so far this year, which it originally promised, was to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket. Elon Musk said earlier this year that Falcon Heavy would make its maiden flight in November. However, November has come and gone and we haven’t heard much from SpaceX with regards to how Falcon Heavy is progressing. Well, Musk decided to break the silence this...
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When Elon Musk isn’t forecasting the downfall of humanity due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) or moving in the mainstream market with Tesla’s Model 3 electric vehicle (EV), he has his mind on SpaceX. SpaceX has been at the forefront of space vehicle reusability with its Falcon 9 boosters, but now it is stepping up its game with the Falcon Heavy. Falcon Heavy in essence straps together three Falcon 9 boosters (with a total of 27 engines) as a single, first-stage unit. The company revealed over the weekend that it has successfully completed a critical test in the development of Falcon Heavy, which it calls the “world’s most powerful rocket”. Falcon Heavy’s 3 first stage cores have all...
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SpaceX has had a lot of success during the past year with its Falcon 9 rocket launches, and things are starting to seem a bit routine. The company regularly launches payloads into space, returning the Falcon 9 boosters either back on dry land or at sea on autonomous drone ships. The company has even launched previously used rockets and landed them again with success. SpaceX is looking for a new, more formidable challenge, and that will come with Falcon Heavy. Thanks to CEO Elon Musk, we now have a general timeframe for the first launch of its hulking Falcon Heavy. Musk took to Twitter to confirm that the first launch will take place sometime in November:Falcon Heavy maiden launch this...
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“Fly me to the moon / Let me play among the stars.” Those famous lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s song “Fly Me To The Moon” have only been applicable to a select few astronauts during the 1960s and 70s. But SpaceX is looking to send two paying tourists in a trajectory around the moon as early as next year. “Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration,” explained SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. According to Musk, these two [unnamed] individuals have “already paid a significant deposit” to partake on the voyage. Initial training for the mission will begin later in 2017, during...
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