First Falcon Heavy Test Flight Is Successful on Feb 6, 2018

choi

(1) Falcon Heavy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_Heavy

Quote: "consists of a strengthened Falcon 9 rocket core with two additional Falcon 9 first stages [each Falcon-9 first stage has nine Merlin 1D engines (designed by SpaceX) ] as strap-on boosters [there is only one second stage, with one Merlin 1D engine; no third stage]. This increases the low Earth orbit (LEO) maximum payload to 63,800 kg, compared to 22,800 kg for a Falcon 9 full thrust, 27,500 kg for the now-retired NASA Space Shuttle and 140,000 kg for the Saturn V [12 successes and 0 failure; 1967-1973]. The Falcon Heavy is the world's 4th highest capacity rocket ever to be built, after Saturn V, Energia [Russian for 'Energy;' designed by NPO Energia; payload to LEO 100,000 kg; 2 successes and 0 failure; 1987-1988] and N1 (rocket) [Soviet Union; payload to LEO 95,000 kg; 0 success and 4 failures; 1969-1972], and the highest capacity rocket in current operation as of February 6, 2018, superseding the Delta IV Heavy payload [payload to LEO 28,790 kg; 8 successes and 1 partial failure; 2004-2016] by more than double.

Note: Falcon 9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9
(section 5 Launcher versions, section 5.2 Falcon 9 v1.1 [v for version]: use[d] a longer [than v1.0] first stage powered by nine Merlin 1D engines arranged in an 'octagonal' pattern [as opposed to 3 by 3 in v1.0], that SpaceX calls Octaweb [a configuration the later, now still active Falcon 9 Full Thrust retains] )

(2)
(a) The three Falcon-9 first stages (2 boosters and 1 core), tested for recovery, was supposed to EACH reignite three (3) of the nine engines. Which happened in the 2 boosters, but for the core, only one reignited.
(b) George Dvorsky, Seemingly Doomed SpaceX Rocket Surprises Elon Musk by Surviving Ocean Landing Test. Gizmodo, Feb 1, 2018
https://gizmodo.com/seemingly-do ... usk-by-s-1822624102
("In comments, Musk confirmed that the Falcon 9 went through a three-engine landing burn, in which three of its nine Merlin 1D engines were engaged. Prior to this, all Falcon 9 landings have used a single Merlin 1D ignition")

Take notice that this report was about a previous launch (on Jan 31, 2018; also from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida; but the rocket was not Falcon Heavy but Falcon 9; the launch was commissioned by the Luxembourg government and satellite operator SES; and the payload was GovSat-1 communications satellite, which was successfully into the desired orbit)

(3) William Harwood, SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Puts on Spectacular Show in Maiden Flight. CBS News, Feb 6, 2018.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spa ... ular-maiden-flight/

This report was unaware that about six hours before it was last updated, Musk of SpaceX had conceded that only one (of the three) engines reignited when the core Falcon plunged (hard) to "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship (and missed).

(4) low Earth orbit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit
(All crewed space stations to date, as well as the majority of satellites, have been in LEO)

That is why in the top graphic, marked is not "LEO" per se but several satellites (Iridium; Hubble) and ISS (International Space Station).

(5)
(a) Long March 5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_5
(Payload to LEO 23,000 kg; engines: YF-100 or YF-77; first flight on Nov 3, 2016 successful from Hainan but second flight on July 2, 2017 a failure, reasons unclear)
(b) Brian Harvey, China's Space Program; From conception to manned spaceflight. Springer, 2004, at page 330
https://books.google.com/books?i ... onym%22&f=false
("Yeti Fadong[液体 发动:] Liquid-fuel rocket engine. Chinese rocket engines are designated YF-1 and so on. 'GF' is the acronym used for solid fuel rocket engines")