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The Falcon Heavy hype has been building for years, reaching all the way back to CEO Elon Musk's declaration of the rocket in 2022. Later on years of evolution and a few last minute delays, the Falcon Heavy is operational. SpaceX successfully launched the rocket from Cape Canaveral today, Feb. 6, 2022. On lath the rocket is Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster, which makes information technology the first auto in space.

SpaceX completed a static fire test last month, which ensured that all 27 Merlin rocket engines on the vehicle could ignite simultaneously. That cleared the way for today'southward test, but Musk has been carefully controlling expectations. He recently gave the launch a 50-50 gamble of success, but he previously said just clearing the tower would be a success in his eyes. The Falcon Heavy far exceeded that standard, though.

The launch seems to have gone amazingly well. The Falcon Heavy is composed of two side booster Falcon nine rockets, plus a center core Falcon nine that has been modified to support the added weight of the side boosters. Several minutes subsequently liftoff, the side boosters throttled downward and disconnected from the center cadre. They performed three burns to render to the landing zone and set downward at LZ-1 and LZ-2 near launch complex 39-A where the rocket started out. Seeing these boosters come downwardly and land within seconds of each other is jaw-dropping.

The center cadre continued to push the second stage into infinite, then information technology too detached and headed back downward. It was as well high and going also fast to return to Greatcoat Canaveral, so the programme was to land it on one of SpaceX's drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean. The feed on the drone transport disappeared as the cadre approached due to vibrations, and SpaceX hasn't said what happened still. Landing this booster was ever going to be more than difficult because of the college speed. The delay makes us doubtable it crashed into the drone send. While not ideal, this doesn't detract from the incredible success of the launch. Nosotros'll update when SpaceX provides more info on the fate of the centre core.

A Tesla in space.

The 2nd stage successfully took the "payload" into low Earth orbit. The adjacent footstep is to brainstorm the burn that will accept it into an elliptical heliocentric orbit. The second stage will get near Mars, but will not actually orbit of the crimson planet. Atop the rocket is Musk's Tesla Roadster with a mannequin wearing 1 of SpaceX'due south newly designed spacesuits. The car is exposed to space (the faring roofing the car was jettisoned shortly after liftoff), allowing for some amazing shots. Information technology'll probably be a really cracking Tesla commercial, too.

This successful launch cements SpaceX every bit the leading individual space firm in the world. Even if it lost one booster, information technology's the only company with a rocket that can take a car to Mars.

Here's a alive view of the car in space:

Update:Elon Musk says the center cadre did indeed crash. Just one of its engines reignited for the landing burn, so it missed the drone ship entirely. Withal, ii out of iii isn't bad when you launch the virtually powerful rocket in the world.