Falcon Heavy Overview

Click here to view the Falcon Heavy press conference.

Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket, represents SpaceX’s entry into the heavy lift launch vehicle category. With the ability to carry satellites or interplanetary spacecraft weighing over 53 metric tons (117,000 lb) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Falcon Heavy can lift nearly twice the payload of the next closest vehicle, the US Space Shuttle, and more than twice the payload of the Delta IV Heavy.

Liftoff of Falcon Heavy. Click to play animation.

With over 3.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, Falcon Heavy will be the most capable rocket flying. By comparison, the liftoff thrust of the Falcon Heavy equals fifteen Boeing 747 aircraft at full power.

VEHICLE	INCLINATION	ORBIT	PAYLOAD TO LEO
Falcon Heavy	28.5 degrees	200 km	53,000 kg
Space Shuttle	28.5 degrees	200 km	24,400 kg
Delta IV Heavy	28.5 degrees	407 km	22,980 kg
Titan IV-B	28.5 degrees	150 km x175 km	21,680 kg
Proton M	51.6 degrees	200 km	21,000 kg
Ariane 5 ES	51.6 degrees	407 km	20,000 kg
Atlas V 551	28.5 degrees	200 km	18,810 kg
Japan H2B	30.4 degrees	300 km	16,500 kg
China LM3B	28.5 degrees	200 km	11,200 kg

Table of the world’s heavy lift vehicles, based on historical launch data. Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit than Falcon Heavy.

Built on the Flight-Proven Falcon 9

Falcon Heavy’s first stage will be made up of three nine-engine cores, which are used as the first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. It will be powered by SpaceX’s upgraded Merlin engines currently being tested at the SpaceX rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. SpaceX has already designed the Falcon 9 first stage to support the additional loads of this configuration, and with common structures and engines for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, development and operation of the Falcon Heavy will be highly cost-effective.

	FALCON HEAVY
Mass to LEO (200 km, 28.5 deg):	53,000 kg (117,000 lb)
Overall Length:	69.2 m (227 ft)
Width (body):	3.6 m (12 ft) x 11.6 m (38 ft)
Width (fairing):	5.2 m (17 ft)
Mass on liftoff:	1,400,000 kg (3,100,000 lb)
Thrust on liftoff:	17 MN (3,800,000 lbf)

High Reliability and High Performance

The Falcon Heavy is designed for extreme reliability and can tolerate the failure of several engines and still complete its mission. As on commercial airliners, protective shells surround each engine to contain a worst-case situation such as fire or a chamber rupture, and prevent it from affecting the other engines and stages. A disabled engine is automatically shut down, and the remaining engines operate slightly longer to compensate for the loss without detriment to the mission.

Falcon Heavy will be the first rocket in history to feature propellant cross-feed from the side boosters to the center core. Propellant cross-feeding leaves the center core still carrying the majority of its propellant after the side boosters separate. This gives Falcon Heavy performance comparable to that of a three-stage rocket, even though only the single Merlin engine on the upper stage requires ignition after lift-off, further improving both reliability and payload performance. Should cross-feed not be required for lower mass missions, it can be easily turned off.

Anticipating potential astronaut transport needs, Falcon Heavy is also designed to meet NASA human rating standards. Falcon Heavy is designed to higher structural safety margins of 40% above flight loads, rather than the 25% level of other rockets, and triple redundant avionics. Despite being designed to higher structural margins than other rockets, the Falcon Heavy side booster stages have a mass ratio (full vs. empty) above 30, better than any launcher in history. By comparison, the Delta IV side boosters have a mass ratio of about 10.

SAVING THE USA $1B ANNUALLY

If allowed to compete, SpaceX can help the Department of Defense save at least one billion dollars annually in space launch services, while providing a truly independent family of vehicles to help assure access to space.

The Falcon Heavy is classified as an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to launch satellites into orbit more economically. The program was intended to both secure access to space for the Department of Defense and other United States government payloads and lower costs by at least 25%, and with a goal of 50%.

Unfortunately, primarily due to lack of competition, costs have actually escalated–increasing by over 30% for FY 2012 alone. The total cost of the current program now exceeds $2.7B, with over $1B paid to a single provider just to sustain the program. That is one billion dollars per year, whether they launch or not.

Falcon Heavy with more than twice the payload but less than one third the cost of a Delta IV Heavy, will provide much needed relief to government and commercial budgets. This year, even as the Department of Defense budget was cut, the EELV launch program, which includes the Delta IV, still saw a thirty percent increase.

The 2012 Air Force budget includes $1.74B for four launches, an average of $435M per launch. With Falcon Heavy priced at $80-125M per launch SpaceX has the potential to provide the US government significant value. In addition, the medium-lift Falcon 9 could support a number of medium-lift Air Force launches at only $50-60M per launch, if SpaceX were allowed to compete for this business.

Click here for complete benefits the SpaceX Falcon family of launch vehicles provides to EELV.

Fairing Volume

Below are the standard fairing dimensions for Falcon Heavy. Dimensions are in meters and in inches inside the brackets. Custom fairings are available at incremental cost.

Launch and Placement Services

Pricing

SpaceX offers open and fixed pricing for its launch services. Modest discounts are available for contractually committed, multi-launch purchases.

PAYLOAD	PRICE
Up to 6.4 ton to GTO	$83M*
Greater than 6.4 ton to GTO	$128M*

*Paid in full standard launch prices for 2012. Please contact us for details at sales@spacex.com