SpaceX told how and where it is planned to plant the used steps Falcon Heavy

About a week ago on Geektimes information about what plans SpaceX had for this year was published . In particular, Ilon Mask said that after a few months the company is going to carry out a trial launch of the Falcon Heavy super-heavy rocket. The payload of the new launch vehicle is 54.4 tons. It is planned that Falcon Heavy will deliver the cargo of such a mass to a low reference orbit. With its help, you can send 21.2 tons of payload to a geo-transfer orbit and about 13 tons of cargo to Mars. Now the Falcon Heavy assembly is coming to an end.

Specialists of the company estimate the cost of launching this launch vehicle to be approximately 90 million US dollars. Details of the trial launch of the rocket, however, the company did not disclose. Recently, a little more information appeared on which SpaceX roadmap for the rocket is provided for. In particular, the company, in order to receive approval from the federal authorities for the launch, is conducting an environmental impact assessment of launch sites. In addition to the existing, SpaceX is preparing two more platforms.


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As part of the assessment, SpaceX studies the noise level at the start of all three stages for the Falcon Heavy, plus a number of other factors. According to the results of the preparation of launch sites, the company prepared an open report. This document states that the first starts of steps will begin in early spring of this year. And SpaceX plans to land all three stages. The company already has the experience of successful (and not so much) return of the first stages of launch vehicles. Therefore, now the team involved in the preparation and implementation of launches is going to try to return all three stages to the Earth intact at the same time.

The fact is that Falcon Heavy is planned to be launched precisely with the intention of returning the specified rocket design elements to Earth. Basically this, according to the company's engineers, will help reduce the cost of launches, and, as mentioned above, the cost reduction is very significant. “This will help the company fulfill the tasks of NASA and USAF,” says the SpaceX document. "Our actions must meet US expectations that the delivery of cargo into space can be reduced, which will make the study of outer space more accessible."

The company also mentions that soon it is planned to build a platform for working with the Dragon capsule. Spacecraft Dragon 2, as conceived by SpaceX, will send astronaut commands into orbit. The created platform will be used to load the ship with fuel and maintain the engine system.



When the company created the main site Landing Zone 1, it was decided to organize four auxiliary sites. All of them are used for one purpose or another: servicing missile elements and the like.

Now we needed more platforms on which all three stages could be planted at the same time. That is, besides Landing Zone 1, you need two more “seats” for the other two stages of the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. In addition to sushi, SpaceX has an alternative option - to try to land some steps on barges that are currently located in the Atlantic Ocean.


The document also contains data on the number of possible launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. As far as can be judged, the regulator allowed the company to make 12 launches and landings of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and its stages, as well as, in addition, 6 launches of Falcon Heavy with the potential possibility of returning 18 launch stages of this rocket per year (6 launches of 3 stages each These are 18 steps in the general offset).



If the regulator does not approve the creation of two more landing pads from SpaceX, then the company will still be able to launch both carrier rockets from Florida. But return to Landing Zone 1 will be only one step. "The remaining steps of the Falcon Heavy will either fall into the Atlantic Ocean, or else they will be planted on a floating platform," the document says. Now, after the company managed to land the returning steps several times in a row both on the platform on solid ground and on the floating platform, we can assume that SpaceX is succeeding in landing three steps at the same time with a high degree of probability.