SpaceX launches massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the 1st time in 3 years
SPACEX'S most powerful rocket blasted off for the first time in three years on Tuesday.
The mission went ahead without a hitch to the relief of engineers.
SpaceX owner tweeted, "Sonic BOOMS!!" as he watched the launch.
Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket around that's currently operational.
But it's only managed to venture into space three times before.
The last time was in June 2019, when a bunch of satellites, a deep space atomic clock, and the ashes of astronaut Bill Pogue were among the items onboard.
Read More on The Sun
Experts wanted to send the rocket up again in 2020 but payload readiness issues thwarted their efforts.
Liftoff took place at 9.41am EDT / 1.41pm GMT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The rocket is carrying two US Space Force craft into orbit.
Space enthusiasts gathered near the Kennedy Space Center to witness the special moment.
Most read in Tech
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.
It comes at a busy time for SpaceX owner Musk, 51.
The world's richest man has finally taken over Twitter after months of legal issues over his $44billion deal.
Musk has fired the social network's top team and made himself CEO and sole director.
However, the billionaire claims that the move is "just temporary".
What is the Falcon Heavy?
The Falcon Heavy is the world's most powerful rocket, with twice the might of any operational spacecraft, according to SpaceX.
Using 28 rocket engines squeezed into three reusable boosters, it lifts off with the power of eighteen 747 aircraft at full throttle.
Two side boosters separate simultaneously shortly after launch and land back on Earth, while a third, centre core breaks off a little later and lands on an automated ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon Heavy can carry 63,000 kilos of payload to low-Earth orbit – more than the mass of a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.
Read More on The Sun
Read more about SpaceX
SpaceX can load the craft with double the payload that its Falcon 9 rocket can carry.
This means the Falcon Heavy offers SpaceX a tantalising opportunity to carry much more stuff into space (and hence make bucketfuls more cash).
Find out more about science
Want to know more about the weird and wonderful world of science? From the Moon to the human body, we have you covered...
- When is the next Full Moon?
- What is a Super Moon?
- What is SpaceX?
- Where is the edge of space?
- How many bones are in the human body?
- How many chromosomes do humans have?
- What causes a volcano to erupt?
- Which sharks attack the most humans?
- What are the conspiracy theories about the world ending?
- All the UFO sightings and whether aliens are real
- Which country has the most earthquakes?
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]