Today, SpaceX has successfully launched its Falcon Heavy rocket after several delays. The rocket lifted off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first launch of the 27-engine rocket and so far, it appears that the mission is going well. The rocket was able to make it through the moment of maximum stress and released the two other cores, which have made their way successfully back to Kennedy Space Center.
While we know that Falcon Heavy’s launch went well, it will be a while before we know the extent of Falcon Heavy’s demo flight success. After liftoff, the rocket will coast for six hours before a trans-Mars injection burn. Earlier this week, Elon Musk provided details of the Falcon Heavy mission in a conference call and emphasized the risks at every stage of the flight.
This launch does, however, signals a huge step forward for spaceflight. Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world, as it currently stands. The rocket still has a few more launched scheduled for the future, but seeing now that SpaceX demonstrated how the the process works, it’s likely that more people will start taking interesting in the Falcon Heavy.
