Falcon Heavy

Falcon Heavy
	Falcon Heavy test flight launch
Function	Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Cost per launch	Reusable: US$97 million (2022); Expendable: US$150 million (2017);
Size
Height	70.0 m (229.6 ft)
Diameter	3.7 m (12 ft) (each booster)
Width	12.2 m (40 ft)
Mass	1,420,000 kg (3,130,000 lb)
Stages	2.5
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Orbital inclination	28.5°
Mass	63,800 kg (140,700 lb) when fully expended; 57,000 kg (126,000 lb) with boosters recovered; <50,000 kg (110,000 lb) with boosters and core recovered;
Payload to GTO
Orbital inclination	27.0°
Mass	26,700 kg (58,900 lb)
Payload to Mars
Mass	16,800 kg (37,000 lb)
Associated rockets
Based on	Falcon 9
Comparable	Delta IV Heavy; New Glenn; Vulcan Centaur;
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Kennedy, LC-39A; Vandenberg, SLC-6 (future);
Total launches	11
Success(es)	11
Landings	Cores: 1 / 3 attempts; Boosters: 16 / 16 attempts;
First flight	6 February 2018 (test flight)
Carries passengers or cargo	Arabsat-6A; Boeing X-37B; EchoStar XXIV; Europa Clipper; GOES-19; Psyche; Dragonfly (Titan space probe);
Boosters
No. boosters	2
Powered by	9 × Merlin 1D per booster
Maximum thrust	SL: 7,600 kN (1,700,000 lbf) each; vac: 8,200 kN (1,800,000 lbf) each;
Total thrust	SL: 15,200 kN (3,400,000 lbf); vac: 16,400 kN (3,700,000 lbf);
Specific impulse	SL: 282 s (2.77 km/s); vac: 311 s (3.05 km/s);
Burn time	154.3 seconds
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
First stage
Powered by	9 × Merlin 1D
Maximum thrust	SL: 7,600 kN (1,700,000 lbf); vac: 8,200 kN (1,800,000 lbf);
Specific impulse	SL: 282 s (2.77 km/s); vac: 311 s (3.05 km/s);
Burn time	187 seconds
Propellant	LOX / RP-1
Second stage
Powered by	1 × Merlin 1D Vacuum
Maximum thrust	934 kN (210,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	348 s (3.41 km/s)
Burn time	397 seconds
Propellant	LOX / RP-1

Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX.

The rocket consists of a center core on which two Falcon 9 boosters are attached, and a second stage on top of the center core. Falcon Heavy has the second highest payload capacity of any currently operational launch vehicle behind NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), and the fourth-highest capacity of any rocket to reach orbit, trailing behind the SLS, Energia and the Saturn V.

SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy's maiden launch on 6 February 2018, at 20:45 UTC. As a dummy payload, the rocket carried a Tesla Roadster belonging to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, with a mannequin dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat. The second Falcon Heavy launch occurred on 11 April 2019, and all three booster rockets successfully returned to Earth. The third Falcon Heavy launch successfully occurred on 25 June 2019. Since then, Falcon Heavy has been certified for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program.

Falcon Heavy was designed to be able to carry humans into space beyond low Earth orbit, although as of February 2018, SpaceX does not intend to transport people on Falcon Heavy, nor pursue the human-rating certification process to transport NASA astronauts. Both Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 are expected to eventually be superseded by the Starship super-heavy lift launch vehicle, currently being developed.