SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy for First Time in 3 Years

The world’s most powerful rocket is off on another mission.

SpaceX

Space X‘s Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world—and it’s finally returning to the skies. The aerospace company announced this week that the rocket launched for a special mission early on November 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

This was the rocket’s first launch since 2018. The Falcon has been involved in two other missions—one to deliver some experimental satellites for the US Department of Defense and another for Saudi-based company Arabsat to carry a television and phone service satellite to orbit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk used his personal Tesla Roadster as a test payload for the initial launch and the car is still in space. 

The impressive $90 million-dollar aircraft utilizes three boosters for its powered liftoff — one at the center, with two others used for the first stage of takeoff. It is capable of blasting five million pounds of thrust, which explains the “heavy” title. But NASA’s Space Launch System is looking to take the Falcon’s top-rocket crown when it launches later this month.

As with previous lift-offs, the company has plans to recover the side boosters that will be refurbished for the Space Force launch later this year. However, it will leave the central booster where it lands in the ocean to conserve fuel costs.

It’s only a matter of time before we see more of the Falcon Heavy in the future.

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