SpaceX’s long awaited Falcon Heavy launched this week. As the most powerful rocket produced since the Saturn V family in the 1960s, it had a lot to live up to.On Tuesday, the Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off with over 22MN (5,400,000 lb f) of thrust. The only launch vehicles to launch with more thrust are the Saturn V rockets that put humans on the moon, the Space Shuttle, and the Soviet Energia rocket (although this only flew twice). The Saturn V could put up to 140,000kg of payload into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and theoretically Falcon Heavy could reach up to 64,000kg. This is a celebrated return to super heavy lift vehicles, as the Space Shuttle (retired in 2011) could only launch 24,000kg, and these days we are left with few options. Both the Delta IV Heavy and the Ariane 5 are capable rockets although the Delta IV Heavy is incredibly expensive – amortised costs have been estimated at over $500mn per launch.

Historic LC-39A in Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre was used to launch most of the Apollo and Space Shuttle missions, so it is only fitting that it is again used in the first flight of the most powerful rocket in the world. Falcon Heavy has long been touted as a game changer in the current launch market. By enabling the largest ever commercial payloads to LEO, the launch market is opened up to a new class of satellites. Along with economically viable re-usability, which allows for much cheaper launches of medium sized satellites, this increases the available market for satellites which could potentially drive competition up and costs down further.

The Heavy demonstrated some of SpaceX’s industry leading work in rocket re-usability: both of the two side boosters already flew missions as single core Falcon 9 missions in 2016. After assisting the centre core in taking the second stage and payload to orbit, these two reused booster proceeded to boostback and land at specially constructed landing zones back at KSC. The centre core also attempted a landing, on SpaceX’s barge about 300km into the Atlantic Ocean, although unfortunately the engines failed to ignite and the stage was lost.

It wouldn’t be one of Musk’s projects without some absurdity to it. As the first mission of an untested rocket, there were no customers willing to purchase a launch1, so a mass simulator was used. Most companies would use a block of steel or concrete as a payload, but Musk decided to send a special payload of his own. He chose to supply his own personalised 1st Generation Tesla Roadster as a test payload, along with a qualification test spacesuit (nicknamed Starman) and a little HotWheels model of the car.

The car remained attached to the second stage after the Trans-Martian Injection (TMI) burn, which placed it into a heliocentric orbit (with the highest point crossing Mars’ orbit)2 . For the first 4 hours of flight, the roadster beamed back a live video feed of Starman slowly spinning in Earth orbit – broadcast on YouTube. There are some stunning shots of Starman with Earth in the background, and to those who believe this is the start of a new era in spaceflight, the hype generated has been incredible.

Whether you consider Falcon Heavy to be groundbreaking or simply another big rocket, it’s hard to deny that it will shake up the commercial space sector for the foreseeable future. Blue Origin’s New Glenn, potentially launching in 2020, will help expand the market as well – hopefully enabling the commercialisation of human spaceflight and potentially leading the way for manned colonisation.

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