When Falcon Heavy lifts off later this year, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. With the ability to lift into orbit over 53 metric tons (117,000 lb)--a mass equivalent to a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel--Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at one-third the cost. Falcon Heavy draws upon the proven heritage and
reliability of Falcon 9. Its first stage is composed of
three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together
generate more than 4.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to
nearly eighteen 747 aircraft. Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown
in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit. Falcon Heavy was designed from
the outset to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of
flying missions with crew to the Moon or Mars.
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