Falcon Heavy rocket test puts SpaceX one step closer to Mars
Meteorologist/Science Writer
Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 4:21 PM - Wow! SpaceX put their new Falcon Heavy rocket through its very first static fire test last week, and the video they posted of it shows off the kind of power you need to reach Mars.
SpaceX has been wowing us with their Falcon 9 rocket launches and landings, but they have a new rocket in the works - the Falcon Heavy.
With three boosters attached together, this rocket will be powerful enough to launch heavy payloads, including missions to the Moon and to Mars.
Just last week, the private spaceflight company put the core booster of the Falcon Heavy through its first static fire test, and posted the video to Twitter on Tuesday:
First static fire test of a Falcon Heavy center core completed at our McGregor, TX rocket development facility last week. pic.twitter.com/tHUHc1QiKG
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 9, 2017
A static fire test is when the rocket is secured to the launch pad (note the tethers holding the rocket down in the video), and the engines are fired at full thrust, to test whether its systems are in working order.
Now, imagine three of these booster rockets going off at the same time, and you get an idea of how much power it takes to propel a spacecraft out of Earth's gravity well.
When the Falcon Heavy is ready to launch, and its first full test flight is still slated for sometime in 2017, it will be the most powerful rocket in use, today, and it will surpass the power and payload weight of any rocket ever produced, save one - the Saturn V, which propelled the missions to the Moon.
An added bonus for the Falcon Heavy is that all three boosters are intended to be reusable, so whenever one launches, we'll get to see three landings, instead of just one!
An animation of two of the Falcon Heavy boosters returning to Earth after a launch. Credit: SpaceX/Giphy
As for when this rocket will actually send something to Mars, SpaceX recently announced that such a trip could happen (with an uncrewed capsule) as early as 2018. The latest word on this, though, is that we'll have to wait until at least until 2020, but we may get two landings on the Red Planet that year, rather than just one.
Sources: SpaceX | Ars Technica
