Successful Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch: What it Means For the Future of Space
Starman enjoying his ride.
(Source: SpaceX)
Fourteen months prior to this sensational launch, SpaceX made the news after catapulting a red Tesla and a dummy (nicknamed Starman) into space as a demo run of the same rocket. This time around, the rocket is being used for something a little more practical: a new communications satellite was hurled nearly one quarter of the way to the moon.
The Falcon Heavy rocket (which is made of three Falcon 9 rockets, which equals 27 engines total) is currently the most powerful operational rocket by a factor of two. It can lift more than twice the payload of the second most powerful rocket, and at one third of the cost. Not only is it cheaper and more powerful than its predecessors, but the Falcon 9 rockets that make up the Falcon Heavy can be reused 10 times. Before SpaceX, rockets were strictly single-use. The Falcon Heavy rocket is paving the way for a more accessible and less costly space age.
So why are we hearing more about private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin instead of NASA? The simple answer is lack of funding. Since the ‘Space Race’ ended in 1975, the funding for NASA has been steadily decreasing. In fact, NASA hasn’t launched any manned missions for 9 years. Though the lack of funding is unfortunate for NASA, it has made space for other companies to develop and test new technology.
Elon Musk imagines a lunar base, featuring the BFR.
(Source: SpaceX)
Elon Musk (the CEO of SpaceX) isn’t stopping at the Falcon Heavy rocket either. Another rocket they have in the works is creatively named the “Big Falcon Rocket” (or BFR for short). The BFR is fully reusable and will be even more powerful than the Falcon Heavy rocket. This rocket will send Yusaku Maezawa on a trip around the moon in 2023.
It is clear that SpaceX and all of their new rockets are not only changing the way we get to space, but are also inspiring a whole new generation of people who have their sights set on Mars and beyond.
