Falcon Heavy

THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL ROCKET

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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.

FALCON HEAVY

OVERVIEW

HEIGHT

70 m

/ 229.6 ft

DIAMETER

12.2 m

/ 39.9 ft

MASS

1,420,788 kg

/ 3,125,735 lb

PAYLOAD TO LEO

63,800 kg

/ 140,660 lb

PAYLOAD TO GTO

26,700 kg

/ 58,860 lb

PAYLOAD TO MARS

16,800 kg

/ 37,040 lb

FALCON HEAVY

FIRST STAGE

OVERVIEW
ENGINES
LANDING LEGS

Three cores make up the first stage of Falcon Heavy. 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. After the side cores separate, the center core engines throttle back up to full thrust.

FALCON HEAVY

INTERSTAGE

The interstage is a composite structure that connects the center core on the first stage and second stages and holds the release and separation system.

GRID FINS

Falcon Heavy is equipped with 12 hypersonic grid fins, four on each booster, positioned at the base of the interstage or nosecone which orients by moving the center of pressure during reentry.

FALCON HEAVY

SECOND STAGE

Falcon Heavy draws upon Falcon 9’s proven design, which minimizes stage separation events and maximizes reliability. The second-stage Merlin Vacuum Engine delivers the rocket’s payload to orbit after the main engines cut off and the first-stage cores separate.

NUMBER OF ENGINES

1

BURN TIME

397 sec

THRUST

981 kN

/ 220,500 lbf

FALCON HEAVY

PAYLOAD

Made of a carbon composite material, the fairing protects satellites on their way to orbit. SpaceX is recovering fairing for reuse on future missions.

HEIGHT

13.1m

/43 ft

DIAMETER

5.2 m

/ 17.1 ft

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VIDEO

FALCON HEAVY FIRST FLIGHT

UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE

With more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, Falcon Heavy is the most capable rocket flying. By comparison, the liftoff thrust of the Falcon Heavy equals approximately eighteen 747 aircraft at full power. Falcon Heavy can lift the equivalent of a fully loaded 737 jetliner—complete with passengers, luggage and fuel—to orbit.

ENGINES

MERLIN

SEA LEVEL
VACUUM

Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine was originally designed for recovery and reuse.

PROPELLANT

LOX

/ RP-1

THRUST

845 kN

/ 190,000 lbf

Falcon Heavy lifts off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

Falcon Heavy vertical at Kennedy Space Center

Falcon Heavy takes off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

Falcon Heavy carries Arabsat-6A to orbit

Falcon Heavy's side booster land at LZ-1 and LZ-2 at Cape Canaveral

Falcon Heavy lifts off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

Falcon Heavy vertical at Kennedy Space Center

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