Falcon Heavy Just Launched For The First Time In Over 3 Years
Falcon Heavy has lifted off once again for the first time in over 3 years. Still holding the title for most powerful operational rocket in the world, earlier this morning we watched it launch apart of the USSF-44 mission. Not to mention this launch marked multiple milestones including the 150th and 151st recovery of orbital class rockets for SpaceX.
The last time we watched a Falcon Heavy lift-off prior to today was in June 2019. While there are a few reasons for the long time period between these launches, what’s important is that the dry streak has ended. This mission marks the first launch in many years for Falcon Heavy and the beginning of a much busier and more aggressive launch schedule in the coming months.
With this launch finished and successful, SpaceX will move on to multiple other Falcon Heavy launches set to happen in the coming months and throughout 2023. Here I will go more in-depth into exactly what happened on today’s mission, why it took years between now and the last launch, what to expect in the coming months regarding missions, and more.
Today’s Mission
At exactly 9:41 am EST this morning, Falcon Heavy lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Just over one minute into launch the rocket reached supersonic speeds and seconds later experienced maximum dynamic pressure with no problems. At 2 minutes and 29 seconds into launch, the two side boosters’ engines cut off and they separated from the core stage. They then performed the boostback burn and set themselves on a trajectory back to the launch site. 4 minutes into the launch and the main engine was cut off and the upper stage separated from the core stage. Just before 7 minutes after launch, the two boosters performed their entry burn. From here we watched as both boosters, one just seconds behind the other, fell back toward earth, completed the final engine burn, and successfully landed on the ground at Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2.
This was the first classified flight of Falcon Heavy. The contract was awarded to SpaceX for a price of around $130 million. The payload included two separate satellites and at least two additional rideshare payloads, and weighed roughly 3.7 t (8,200 lb) at launch. They were launched in a direct geosynchronous orbit, necessitating for the first time a planned partially expendable launch, that is, to deliberately expend the center core which lacks grid fins and landing gear needed for a landing. Specifically, on this mission, there was no attempted landing of the core stage on a drone ship. Instead, they made use of every bit of fuel on this main stage to ensure the payloads were delivered to the proper orbit and try to extend on orbit life as much as possible. A Space Force report was quoted saying, “Because of the fuel consumption needed for the demanding mission profile, SpaceX won’t attempt recovery of the center core.”
Another unique feature you may have noticed was the fact that the second stage featured a gray band. This was due to its long coast phase between subsequent burns, to allow more heat from sunlight to be absorbed to warm the RP-1 kerosene tank during the longer coasting period, a first for Falcon Heavy and third for any falcon rocket. When it gets too cold, kerosene – which freezes at a much higher temperature than Falcon’s liquid oxygen oxidizer – becomes viscous and slush-like before it freezes solid. If ingested, slushy fuel would likely prevent ignition or destroy the upper stage’s Merlin engine.
Following the landing of both side boosters, SpaceX tweeted saying, “Falcon Heavy’s side boosters have landed – marking the 150th and 151st recovery of orbital class rockets”. This helps put in perspective the success SpaceX has been having with both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles regarding booster landing and reuse. Overall, the mission was a massive success and hopefully marks the beginning of Falcon Heavy’s return to consistent launch operations.
Falcon Heavy’s Future
Now that we know more about today’s launch and some of its unique features and mission profile, we can take a closer look at the rocket’s upcoming schedule, why it took over 3 years for it to launch, and the launch vehicle itself. As of right now, Falcon Heavy already has another mission scheduled in just a few months. Specifically, on January 4th, 2023, the heavy lift launch vehicle is set to launch once again this time with Viasat. In this case, Falcon Heavy was originally slated to launch the Viasat-2 satellite, but due to delays, an Ariane 5 launch vehicle was used instead. Viasat maintained the launch option and will launch its next Ka-band satellite, which will serve either the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa or Americas regions, using Falcon Heavy. The upper stage of Falcon Heavy will deploy the satellite into a near-geosynchronous orbit that will include a coasting stage several hours long between burns.
In addition, there is another possible Falcon Heavy launch opportunity in January with the U.S. Space Force. This would be the first SpaceX launch of the Phase 2 USAF contract, likely to be on a Falcon Heavy, and likely requiring a vertical integration building and an increased fairing size. Expected to use three new boosters, with the center core in an expendable configuration (no grid fins or landing gear), while the two side-boosters will be targeting a simultaneous landing on drone ships Just Read The Instructions and A Shortfall of Gravitas. A lot of the mission requirements are similar to what we saw today with the expectation of a possible double drone ship landing. Not to mention an additional 8 possible missions that could be scheduled with the Falcon Heavy through 2023 and 2024. A busy timeline we will have to keep up with as time goes on.
This exciting future for the rocket brings up the question of why did it take over 3 years for it to launch again. In reality, there are a variety of reasons why but one of the most impactful has to do with the success of the Falcon 9. While in development, SpaceX was not quite sure how powerful the rocket would turn out and its capabilities once finished. In reality, the Falcon 9 turned out to be a lot better than expected which had an effect on the Falcon Heavy. Specifically, due to improvements to the performance of Falcon 9, some of the heavier satellites flown to GTO, such as Intelsat 35e and Inmarsat-5 F4, ended up being launched on a Falcon 9. Another reason had to do with the demand or lack thereof for a rocket capable of lifting almost 64,000 kilograms to low earth orbit and almost 27,000 to GEO. Thankfully, as time has gone on, the rocket’s future launch schedule suggests a slight shift in demand and use of the Falcon Heavy.
As we know, Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. With the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb) Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy. Falcon Heavy is composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft. The side cores, or boosters, are connected on the nosecone, the interstage, and on the octaweb. Shortly after liftoff, the center core engines are throttled down. Reusability is a core feature on this launch vehicle, the Falcon 9’s and SpaceX’s overall goal.
SpaceX believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access. The majority of the launch cost comes from building the rocket, which historically has flown only once. Compare that to a commercial airliner – each new plane costs about the same as Falcon 9 but can fly multiple times per day and conduct tens of thousands of flights over its lifetime. Following the commercial model, a rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could reduce the cost of traveling to space by a hundredfold. While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, SpaceX rockets can not only withstand reentry but can also successfully land back on Earth and refly again. The milestone reached today of 150th and 151st recovery is a testament to the company’s goal and future.
Another aspect today’s launch highlights is how truly special this heavy lift launch vehicle is. For Falcon Heavy, the fundamental purpose of the side cores is to apply axial force to the center core during ascent and increase the impulse delivered to second stage before stage separation. The timing of the shutdown for the Falcon Heavy side cores can be tailored for each mission to ensure that the proper impulse is delivered. Each side core is structurally connected to the center core at forward and aft locations. Two pneumatic pusher separation mechanisms connect the forward ends of each side core to the center core, fastening the top of the LOX tank in the center core to the side cores. Something we can expect to see more of in the near future.
Conclusion
Finally, after over 3 years, the Falcon Heavy has once again lifted off. Today we watched the successful USSF-44 mission where both side boosters landed safely while the center core was expended as planned. The coming months should hold even more Falcon Heavy launches as its schedule gets much busier. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.