![]() ![]() In the cases of planetary or lunar satellites this inevitably results in either a controlled burn-up in the atmosphere, or a direct impact with the body they orbit. Every modern space mission is required to think about clearing up after itself. The vehicle has been scheduled to head towards Mars, but what has not been made clear is what is going to happen to it afterwards. The car test payload is also something of an issue. This amount of carbon is a drop in the ocean compared to global industrial emissions as a whole, but if the SpaceX’s plan for a rocket launch every two weeks comes to fruition, this amount of carbon (approximately 4,000 tonnes per year) will rapidly become a bigger problem. The amount of kerosene in three Falcon 9 rockets is roughly 440 tonnes and RP-1 has a 34% carbon content. The current fuel for Falcon Heavy is RP-1 (a refined kerosene) and liquid oxygen, which creates a lot of carbon dioxide when burnt. Building bigger rockets with bigger payloads means more fuel is used for each launch. However, the mass of most rockets are more than 95% fuel. So what could possibly be wrong with this groundbreaking test flight? While visually appealing, cheaper and a major technological advancement, what about the environmental impact? The rocket is reusable, which means cutting down the resources required for the metal body of the rocket. The rocket boosters on this test flight had a controlled and breathtakingly simultaneous landing onto the launch pad. The impact this price drop has for innovative new space products and research is groundbreaking. The Falcon Heavy has been promoted as providing a cost of roughly US$1,300 per kg of payload, while the space shuttle cost approximately US$60,000 per kg. This recovery massively reduces the launch cost for both exploration and scientific discovery. That means their launches resulted in a lot of rocket boosters and main fuel tanks either burning up in the atmosphere or sitting on the bottom of the ocean (some are recovered). While vehicles such as the Space Shuttle have been reusable, their launch vehicles have not. The fact that this is a fully reusable rocket is also an exciting development. The chosen payload was a Tesla Roadster vehicle belonging to Space X founder and CEO Elon Musk – with a dummy named “Starman” sitting in the driver’s seat along with plenty of cameras. ![]() The launch itself, the views from the payload and the landing of the booster rockets can only be described as stunning. For the purposes of colonising Mars or the moon, this is a welcome and necessary development. So Falcon Heavy represents a big step forward in delivering ever larger satellites or manned missions out to explore our solar system. The current closest competitor is the Delta IV heavy which has a payload equivalent of 29 tonnes. Falcon Heavy is capable of taking 68 tonnes of equipment into orbit close to the Earth. The launch drew massive international audiences – but while it was an amazing event to witness, there are some important potential drawbacks that must be considered as we assess the impact of this mission on space exploration.īut let’s start by looking at some of the many positives. The most important thing about this reusable spacecraft is that it can carry a payload equivalent to sending five double-decker London buses into space – which will be invaluable for future manned space exploration or in sending bigger satellites into orbit.įalcon Heavy essentially comprises three previously tested rockets strapped together to create one giant spacecraft. SpaceX has now launched the most powerful spacecraft since the Apollo era – the Falcon Heavy rocket – setting the bar for future space launches. ![]()
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