SpaceX announces the Falcon Heavy rocket [April 5, 2011]

Today Elon musk of SpaceX officially announced the development and plans of the next step in commercial rocket development, the falcon heavy. The Falcon Heavy will be SpaceX's entry into the heavy lift launch vehicle category. Capable of lifting over 32,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and over 19,500 kg to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), the Falcon Heavy will compete with the largest commercial launchers now available.

Source: SpaceX
More at: http://www.spacestation-alpha.com/index.php?wid=84&yr=2011

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• spacex
• flacon
• heavy
• rocket
• space
• affordable

[swiFtey08]

I hope one day usa and other countries will stop sending so much money on war and more on space!

[Anderasio]

@LightandDark11

You're an idiot.

Literally EVERYTHING in your home was made, shipped and sold by these evil corporations.

[CrusaderAmerica]

a dislike?!?!? uh oh me thinks we got a Russian in here

[baillou2]

@SSCFPA Yes, but the Falcon 9/heavy is already vastly cheaper than anything else going. Now imagine if it could be made reusable. According to Elon it would go from 65 million dollars per launch to around 160,000. That's not much more per flight than the total cost to fly a 747 from NY to London. Do you see what a game-changer that would be????

[freeadplanet]

BAD ASS.... LETS GO MAN! Save the polar bears if we can too.

[SSCFPA]

Some may sigh at a disposable rocket, if the Falcon can be further developed as before, at a fraction of the cost of other NASA/USAF vehicles, what is the objection?

The Shuttle was reuseable, it was also hugely expensive to maintain, requiring the sort of infrastructure and personnel levels as Apollo did.

It that respect it failed in it's mission, though it never could have been run at the cost and rate as originally planned.

53 Tons to LEO, that would be very welcome.

[baillou2]

@geargemartin Dude, Elon is working VERY hard on making it fully reusable. Hang in there. I think he can do it.

[monokhem]

Corperations are not evil because they have no soul. If they did have souls and acted the way they did then they would be evil. Spacex is just a tool like all corperations. This tool is in the hands of one majority share holder. If you want to call some one evil here, call Elon Musk Evil. I don't think you will be able to put together much of a case.

[geargemartin]

Disposable rocket..... Sigh

[phroto13]

@Anderasio also you catch more flies with honey than vinegar... dont be a dick and call the kid an idiot, just tell him why its a lie that all corporations are evil

[phroto13]

@LightandDark11 @Anderasio in addition to anderasio's comment.. if a shellfishing corporation were to have owned the ocean that bp was drilling instead of it being state owned then the corporation would be able to bring a lawsuit against bp for damages to its water.. similar to a farmer being able to sue someone for burning down his orchard... this shellfish corporation would then have a vested interest in improving the environmental balance of its oceans as quickly as possible. LA and DC dont

[aquascaper78]

Commercializing the Space Industry was the best thing this administration could do for NASA! SpaceX is leading the charge and will soon bring us into a new era of human space exploration. We are now in a golden age and will soon see the prices drop for human space travel as we know it. As prices decrease, innovation will increase. Way to go SpaceX!!!!!

[pattyann0927]

WooHoo! 

[viceroy43443]

I love Space X's can do philosophy. This is how we got to the moon! This is how we will get to Mars and beyond. Musk for PRESIDENT!

[pinboyjorf]

hey nasa, if you can't beat em, join em.

[overstatedbrilliance]

@gucker07 Exactly. Constellation's cost overruns and delays were basically the "Big Dig" on steroids and even after years of development the program had huge logistical issues. I wouldn't have minded NASA creating the next-generation space launch vehicle but it wasn't to be with the constellation program.

[LightandDark11]

Congrats. You have proven that not all corporations are completely useless.

Thanks for being the antithesis of BP, actually contributing something useful to humanity.

[gucker07]

Constellation would have never worked, read the Augustine report. It was billions over budget and years behind schedule. SpaceX is performing much better at a fraction of the cost.

Go SpaceX!!

[Eagle1Division2]

@tstetler If this pulls through alright - I will forgive Obama for canceling Constellation.

[bassproal]

Bam, who's playing the tunes?

[janakag]

Love the sound of the turbo pumps starting...

[tstetler]

Oh HELL YEAH!! 53 metric tons to orbit, 2-launch lunar missions and 4-launch Mars missions - BOTH manned!!