![]() The rocket finally launched on February 6, 2018, around five years later than originally anticipated. The date was then pushed back to early 2016, then late 2016, then September 2017, then November 2017. Musk originally promised the Falcon Heavy would fly sometime in 2013. Other details were way off base, in particular the launch date. The Falcon Heavy exceeded its goals in other ways, like the originally announced liftoff thrust of just 3.8 million pounds. Some of the details were remarkably similar to the final product, like the 27 Merlin engines, the height of around 230 feet and the cost per mission of between $80 million and $125 million, which was only around $10 million lower than its final price. ![]() “Falcon Heavy costs about a third as much per flight as a Delta 4-Heavy but carries twice as much payload to orbit, so it’s effectively a six-fold improvement in the cost per pound to orbit.” “Falcon Heavy represents a huge economic advantage,” Musk said at the event. The rocket was first announced in April 2011 at a National Press Club conference in Washington, D.C. SpaceX first floated the idea of adding more Merlin engines to make a heavy lift rocket as far back as 2005. All these feats helped the company drive down costs to develop more ambitious rockets. SpaceX completed a staggering 18 launches in 2017, five of which reused rockets that the company had successfully landed after launch. The nine-engine Falcon 9, with a liftoff thrust of 1.7 million pounds, first launched in 2010. Its first launch in 2006 was with the Falcon 1, powered by a single Merlin engine, but the first successful launch wouldn’t come until two years later. The company built itself up by offering private rocket launches for companies. Musk originally founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of sending humans to Mars and starting a colony. ![]() ![]() Falcon Heavy Flickr / Official SpaceX Photos Falcon Heavy: How Did We Get Here? ![]()
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