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Falcon Heavy became the most powerful rocket in use today, doubling the liftoff punch of its closest competitor.

Details

• SpaceX’s big new rocket blasted off on Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars.
• The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon. With the liftoff, the Heavy became the most powerful rocket in use today, doubling the liftoff punch of its closest competitor.
• It has three boosters and 27 engines.
• Two of the boosters, both recycled from previous launches, returned minutes later for simultaneous, side-by-side touchdowns on land at Cape Canaveral. Sonic booms rumbled across the region with the vertical landings. There was no immediate word on whether the third booster, brand new, made it onto an ocean platform 300 miles offshore.
• The Falcon Heavy is a combination of three Falcon 9s, the rocket that the company uses to ship supplies to the International Space Station and lift satellites. SpaceX is reusing first-stage boosters to save on launch costs. Most other rocket makers discard their spent boosters in the ocean.
• Unlike most rockets out there, the Falcon Heavy receives no government funding. The hulking rocket is intended for massive satellites, like those used by the U.S. military and major-league communication companies. Even before the successful test flight, customers were signed up.
• The Heavy already is rattling the launch market. Its sticker price is $90 million, less than one-10th the estimated cost of NASA’s Space Launch System megarocket in development for moon and Mars expeditions.

Source

The Hindu