From start to finish, Sunday's Falcon Heavy launch delivered spectacular images
From start to finish, Sunday's Falcon Heavy launch delivered spectacular images
Enlarge / A Falcon Heavy rocket launched about 10 minutes after sunset Sunday from Florida.
Trevor Mahlman
The Falcon Heavy rocket made its fifth launch in five years from Florida on Sunday evening. However, this was the first launch of the triple-core booster at dusk, and this rare evening light provided dramatic new information about the rocket's liftoff and return.
This post-sunset lighting can be seen in the intro image above, which features reddish hues bouncing off the white cores and upper story. This color comes from the fact that the rocket gains enough altitude to be in line of sight with the Sun.
Now the second most powerful rocket in the world after NASA's Space Launch System, the Falcon Heavy still puts on a great show, with its 27 Merlin engines firing at the same time. It holds the record for the rocket with the most first-stage engines to reach orbit, at least until SpaceX's Starship rocket flies later this year.
Enlarge / The rocket lifted off at 5:56 p.m. ET (22:56 UTC) on Sunday.
Trevor Mahlman
Sunday's launch was named USSF-67 and carried two payloads into geostationary orbit for the US Space Force. This was the second Falcon Heavy launch for the Space Force, with another scheduled for later this spring.
This photo of the engine features the rocket's three distinct cores, each a modified version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with its own individual panache.
Enlarge / Twenty-seven Merlin engines power the first stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket.
Trevor Mahlman
The rocket is seen here climbing into the sky prior to booster separation, which occurs approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds after launch. After this point, the side thrusters will separate from the rocket's central core.
Enlarge / Falcon Heavy is high above the Florida coast.
Trevor Mahlman
The central core then burns for an additional 30 seconds before its propellant of kerosene and liquid oxygen is depleted. In the meantime, the lateral thrusters must stop their forward movement and reorient themselves for a return to landing zones a few kilometers from the launch site.
In this image, the central core can be seen burning towards orbit with the USSF-67 payload. In the m...
Enlarge / A Falcon Heavy rocket launched about 10 minutes after sunset Sunday from Florida.
Trevor Mahlman
The Falcon Heavy rocket made its fifth launch in five years from Florida on Sunday evening. However, this was the first launch of the triple-core booster at dusk, and this rare evening light provided dramatic new information about the rocket's liftoff and return.
This post-sunset lighting can be seen in the intro image above, which features reddish hues bouncing off the white cores and upper story. This color comes from the fact that the rocket gains enough altitude to be in line of sight with the Sun.
Now the second most powerful rocket in the world after NASA's Space Launch System, the Falcon Heavy still puts on a great show, with its 27 Merlin engines firing at the same time. It holds the record for the rocket with the most first-stage engines to reach orbit, at least until SpaceX's Starship rocket flies later this year.
Enlarge / The rocket lifted off at 5:56 p.m. ET (22:56 UTC) on Sunday.
Trevor Mahlman
Sunday's launch was named USSF-67 and carried two payloads into geostationary orbit for the US Space Force. This was the second Falcon Heavy launch for the Space Force, with another scheduled for later this spring.
This photo of the engine features the rocket's three distinct cores, each a modified version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with its own individual panache.
Enlarge / Twenty-seven Merlin engines power the first stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket.
Trevor Mahlman
The rocket is seen here climbing into the sky prior to booster separation, which occurs approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds after launch. After this point, the side thrusters will separate from the rocket's central core.
Enlarge / Falcon Heavy is high above the Florida coast.
Trevor Mahlman
The central core then burns for an additional 30 seconds before its propellant of kerosene and liquid oxygen is depleted. In the meantime, the lateral thrusters must stop their forward movement and reorient themselves for a return to landing zones a few kilometers from the launch site.
In this image, the central core can be seen burning towards orbit with the USSF-67 payload. In the m...
Enlarge / A Falcon Heavy rocket launched about 10 minutes after sunset Sunday from Florida.
Trevor Mahlman
Enlarge / The rocket lifted off at 5:56 p.m. ET (22:56 UTC) on Sunday.
Trevor Mahlman
Enlarge / Twenty-seven Merlin engines power the first stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket.
Trevor Mahlman
Enlarge / Falcon Heavy is high above the Florida coast.
Trevor Mahlman
