SPACE LAUNCH REPORT SPACEX FALCON HEAVY Vehicle Flight History by Ed Kyle, Updated December 29, 2023 List by Variant/Year (2018-Present) L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) Falcon Falcon Falcon Heavy Heavy Heavy Boost Expend Total LZ1/2 Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2010 - - - - 2011 - - - - - 2012 - - - - 2013 - - - 2014 - - - - 2015 - - - 2016 - - - 2017 - - - - - 2018 1(0) - - - 1(0) 2019 2(0) - - - 2(0) 2020 - - - - - 2021 - - - - - 2022 1(0) - - - 1(0) 2023 4(0) 1(0) - - 5(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Falcon Falcon 9 Heavy Heavy Boost Expend LZ1/2 L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Suborb - - - - - Orbit 8(0) 1(0) - - 9(0) Total 8(0) 1(0) - - 9(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ FOOTNOTES: All center cores expended. Attempts to recover center cores on first three launches failed. Subsequent center cores were purposely expended. Falcon Heavy Vehicle Configurations Masses in Metric Tons (Tonnes) ================================================================== LEO GTO GEO Escape Height GLOW Payload Payload Payload Payload (meters) (t) 185 km x 185 x C3 = 28.5 deg 37588 km -10 km2/s2 x 27 deg ================================================================== Falcon Heavy 63.8 t 26.7 t >6.74 t 16.8 t 70 m 1,420 t Expendable Falcon Heavy 23.0 t 8.0 t 70 m 1,420 t Full Recovery Falcon Heavy >9.2 t 70 m 1,420 t Core Expend Sides RTLS ================================================================== Falcon Heavy Vehicle Components Masses in Metric Tons (Tonnes) ================================================================== Booster Stage 1 Stage 2 Payload (Each) Fairing ------------------------------------------------------------------ Diameter 3.66 m 3.66 m 3.66 m 5.2 m Length 42.6 m* 42.6 m* 12.6 m** 13.9 m Mp 407.6 t 407.6 t 107.2 t - GLOW 424.6 t 424.6 t 111.7 t ~2.0 t Engine 9 x 9 x 1 x Merlin 1D Merlin 1D Merlin Vac RP1/LOX RP1/LOX RP1/LOX Thrust 775.650 t SL 775.650 t SL 838.927 t Vac 838.927 t Vac 92.255 t Throttle 70-100% 70-100% 70-100% ISP 285/312 sec 285/312 sec 348 sec Tburn 162 sec 162 sec 375 sec ================================================================== * Not Including Interstage ** Includes Interstage Nonrecoverable Version. Add ~2-3 t Dry Mass for Recoverable Version. Falcon Heavy Flight Log ================================================================== Date Vehicle No. Payload Mass Site Orbit (kg) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 02/06/18 Falcon Heavy FH-1 Demo Mission KC 39A HCO 04/11/19 Falcon Heavy FH-2 Arabsat 6A 6465 KC 39A GTO+ 06/25/19 Falcon Heavy FH-3 STP-2 ~2940 KC 39A EEO 11/01/22 Falcon Heavy FH-4 USSF 44 3700 KC 39A GEO 01/15/23 Falcon Heavy FH-5 USSF 67 ~4000 KC 39A GEO 05/01/23 Falcon Heavy FH-6 ViaSat 3/usats ~6740 KC 39A GEO 07/29/23 Falcon Heavy FH-7 Jupiter 3 9200 KC 39A GTO+ 10/13/23 Falcon Heavy FH-8 Psyche 2747 KC 39A HCO 12/29/23 Falcon Heavy FH-9 OTV-7/X37B#2 KC 39A EEO ================================================================== KC = Kennedy Space Center, Florida [FH-1] Boosters B1023.2/B1025.2 landed LZ-1/2. Core B1033.1 failed attempt to land on OCISLY. [FH-2] First Block 5 Falcon Heavy. Boosters B1052.1/B1053.1 landed LZ-1/2. Core B1055.1 landed OCISLY, but was subsequently lost overboard. Fairing halves recovered after splashdowns. 327x89,815 km x 22.96 deg orbit [FH-3] 24 satellites into 3 orbits using 4 second stage burns during 3.5 hour mission. Boosters B1052.2/B1053.2 landed LZ-1/2. Core B1057.1 crashed near OCISLY. Ms. Tree caught fairing half for 1st time. 6000x12000 km x 43 deg orbit. [FH-4] Multiple satellites directly to GEO, including Shepard Demo, LDPE 2, USUVL, LINUSS 1,2, and TETRA 1. B1066.1 core expended. It did not have legs. B1064.1 and B1065.1 boosters landed at LZ-1 and LZ-2, respectfully. [FH-5] CBAS 2 (2-3t)/LDPE 3A (1.875t) to GEO. Side boosters B1064.2/B1065.2 landed LZ 1/2. Core B1070.1 expended. [FH-6] ViaSat-3 (6.418 t), Arcturus (0.3 t), GS-1 (0.022 t) to near-GEO. All cores expended. B1052.8 MY, B1053.3 PY, B1068.1 center core. 0026 UTC. 34646x34569 km x 0.07 deg orbit. [FH-7] B1064.3/B1065.3 side cores RTLS to LZ-1/2. B1074.1 core expended. Stg 2 3-burn ascent during 3.5 hour mission. Heaviest commercial comsat. 8000x35504 km x 10.39 deg orbit. [FH-8] B1064.4/B1065.4 side cores landed LZ-1/2. B1079.1 core expended. Stg 2 2 burns to HCO (c3=15km2/s2). Psyche to flyby Mars in 2026 and reach asteroid Psyche in 8/2029. 1419 UTC liftoff. c3=15km2/s2 solar orbit. [FH-9] B1064.5/B1065.5 side cores landed LZ-1/2. B1084.1 core expended. X-37B first flight on Falcon Heavy. Initial 51.5 deg inclination. Stg 2 later in 74 deg inclination for reentry south of Alaska. X-38B vehicle 2 to unknown orbit, later found by amateurs to be 323 x 38,838 km x 59.1 deg with an apogee above 37 deg South. FH-7 Timeline ------------------------------------------------------------------ HR/MIN/SEC EVENT 00:01:09 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) 00:02:22 Side boosters engine cutoff (BECO) 00:02:25 Side boosters separate 00:02:44 Side boosters boostback burns begin 00:03:49 Side boosters boostback burns end 00:03:52 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) 00:03:55 1st and 2nd stages separate 00:04:01 2nd stage engine starts (SES) 00:04:16 Fairing deployment 00:06:20 Side boosters entry burns start 00:06:36 Side boosters entry burns end 00:07:20 Side boosters landing burns start 00:07:34 Side boosters landing 00:08:23 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) 00:26:25 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2) 00:27:59 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) 03:22:01 2nd stage engine starts (SES-3) 03:22:26 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-3) 03:28:39 JUPITER 3 deploys Falcon Heavy will put the Jupiter 3 comsat into a "modified" high-perigee geostationary transfer orbit. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Falcon Heavy Falcon Heavy is a modular growth version of the two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9. With two strap-on liquid boosters augmenting a two-stage core, the 70 meter tall rocket weighes 1,420 tonnes at liftoff and rises on the combined 2,326 tonnes of sea level thrust produced by 27 Merlin 1D engines In a fully expendable configuration, SpaceX says that Falcon Heavy can lift more than 63 tonnes to a 28.5 deg low earth orbit (LEO), or more than 26 tonnes to a 27 deg inclination geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) from Florida. SpaceX typically surrenders most of this performance to recover the boosters. Early attempts to recover the core first stage downrange failed, leading subsequent launches to expend the core. Boosters fly back to Landing Zones 1 and 2 at the former site of Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13, part of the original "ICBM Row". KSC Launch Complex 39A After the final Space Shuttle launch in 2011, which took place from Kennedy Space Center LC 39A, NASA sought parties who might be interested in using the historic launch site. The ocean-side pad had hosted the first Saturn V launch, the first manned lunar orbital and landing missions, and the first space shuttle launch, among other accomplishments. United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, and Blue Origin, among others, expressed interest. In the end, NASA awarded SpaceX a 20-year lease of the site during April 2014. The company revealed that it intended to debut Falcon Heavy on a "Demosat" mission from LC 39A. On May 20, 2014, NASA removed MLP 2 from LC 39A, marking the final run of a Saturn V era crawler transporter to the launch pad. SpaceX soon took over the complex and began constructing a new HIF right on top of the crawlerway just outside the LC 39A fence line. It also began modifying the launch pad itself, while keeping the existing service tower and rotating service structure. Kerosene infrastructure began to be returned to the pad for the first time since the days of Saturn V. Plans called for a transporter erector to carry Falcon Heavy from the HIF up the incline to the pad using two new railroad tracks, rather than on a wheeled transporter as at SLC 4E. Rocket exhaust would be diverted through a rebuilt flame trench toward the north by a modified flame diverter. During 2015 and early 2016, construction continued at LC 39A. The HIF was completed, rail tracks were laid to the pad, and a transporter erector was assembled and tested. A winch cable system and a pushback tug moved the transporter up the pad ramp. The flame trench was reconfigured and a new water deluge system was installed. In December, 2015, the LC 39A HIF received its first occupant when the F9-21 (Orbcomm OG2) first stage - the first to land safely after a launch - moved into the hangar for inspection. In April, 2016, the F9-23 (CRS-8) first stage also entered the HIF after its landmark recovery at sea. Plans at the time called for this stage to perform a series of static test firings on LC 39A. First Flight Vehicle During April, 2017, B1023.2, a previously flown first stage assigned to serve as one of the side boosters for the Falcon Heavy inaugural flight, was tested at McGregor. The stage returned to the test stand in mid-May for a second test after data from the first firing was reviewed. Meanwhile, B1033, the first Falcon Heavy core stage, was test fired during the first week of May. Long delayed, long anticipated, the first SpaceX Falcon Heavy performed its Demo Mission from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 Pad A on February 6, 2018. Flying in a one-off interim configuration using two older used boosters and a new core first stage, the roughly 1,400 tonne, 70 meter tall triple-barrel rocket lifted off at 20:45 UTC on 2,128 tonnes (4.7 million pounds) of thrust created by a total of 27 Merlin 1D engines, 9 on each core/booster stage. Future operational Falcon Heavies would produce more thrust and use the more-advanced "Block 5" stages. Elon Musk's used Tesla roadster, which typically weighed 1,250 kg on the street in driveable configuration, served as a non-seperating simulated payload mass atop the second stage. The second stage performed three burns during the six hour mission to accelerate itself and the Tesla into a heliocentric orbit ranging from the orbit of Earth to beyond Mars. An important goal of the mission was to demonstrate a long coast between the second and third burns, an ability needed for some DoD EELV Heavy class missions for which SpaceX hopes to compete. Given a 50-50 chance of success by its creator on this inaugural flight, Falcon Heavy checked off mission milestones as it rose cleanly from its reconfigured launch pad, passed through Max-Q, and survived booster shutdown (2 min 29 sec) and separation (2 min 33 sec). The core stage, having flown at a lower throttle setting during much of its burn, continued on for another 25 seconds after booster cutoff before it, too, shut down and seperated. The second stage ignited at 3 min 15 sec and burned until 8 min 31 sec to reach a temporary parking orbit. The stage was scheduled to perform its second burn beginning at 28 min 22 sec and lasting 30 seconds. It was subsequently tracked in a 180 x 6,951 km x 29.0 deg elliptical orbit, where it circled the Earth for about 5.5 hours before igniting a third time, at second perigee over South America. During the coast, SpaceX webcast live video of the roadster, complete with space-suited dummy driver, floating through space with the Earth, Moon, and Sun periodically filling the background. The two side boosters both performed three-engine boost-back and reentry burns, and single-engine landing burns, to land side-by-side at Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1 and 2, creating a surreal, science-fiction-like sight. The core booster performed three-engine boost-back and reentry burns, and attempted a three-engine landing burn, aimed toward landing on the converted barge "Of Course I Still Love You", but two of the engines failed to ignite for landing and the stage crashed into the Atlantic. The Falcon Heavy Demo vehicle consisted of side booster B1023.2, side booster B1025.2, and new core stage B1033.1. The side boosters were originally "Block 2" variants while the core was a "Block 3" version. Future Falcon Heavies will likely use "Block 5" stages. B1023.2 was previously used during the May 27, 2016 Thaicom 8 launch, when it landed on OSCILY. B1025.2 boosted the CRS-9 mission on July 18, 2016, landing at LZ 1. Both cores returned to Hawthorne for refurbishment and conversion into the side core configuration, with sleek nose cones added in place of their interstage sections. B1023.2 was static tested at McGregor during mid-April 2017. B1025.2 was tested at McGregor on August 29, 2017. Both spent the intervening months in the KSC LC 39A HIF. The B1033 core stage was test fired at McGregor during early May, 2017. Its second stage was tested around the same period. Falcon Heavy was assembled in the HIF and rolled to the pad for the first time for mechanical fit checks on December 28, 2017. A propellant loading test was attempted, but aborted, on January 11, 2018. A second attempt was stopped on January 14 and a third on January 20. Finally, on January 24, a successful propellant loading test ended with a successful static firing that lasted about 8 to 10 seconds. The February 6 launch occurred on the first attempt, though high winds at altitude delayed the launch by several hours. Elon Musk said that SpaceX spent about $500 million on Falcon Heavy development leading to the Demo Flight. FH-2 SpaceXFalcon Heavy Arabsat 6A SpaceX's second Falcon Heavy, the first using Block 5 stages, successfully boosted 6,465 kg Arabsat 6A into supersynchronous transfer orbit from Kennedy Space Center LC 39A on April 11, 2019. During the flight, the twin side boosters flew back to Cape Canaveral Landing Zones 1 and 2 while the core stage landed successfully downrange on the converted barge "Of Course I Still Love You". The second stage fired its Merlin Vacuum twice to complete the insertion toward a 327 x 89,815 km x 22.96 deg transfer orbit. New stages B1052.1 and B1053.1 served as the side boosters, each topped with composite nose cones used during the first Falcon Heavy launch. Core stage B1055.1 completed the trio. Together, their 27 Merlin 1D engines produced about 10% more thrust (about 2,327 metric tons or 5.13 million pounds) during the 22:35 UTC launch than the first Falcon Heavy. The boosters cut off about 2.5 minutes after liftoff and separated four seconds later. They performed boostback, entry, and landing burns to land side by side at LZ 1 and 2 at about T+7 minutes 51 seconds. Although B1055 landed succesfully, it was subsequently lost when it toppled in heavy seas. The loss caused the second Falcon Heavy mission to match the inaugural's record of one lost core and two recovered boosters. Slightly offsetting the loss was the successful recovery of both fairing halves after they splashed down in the Atlantic, a step not achieved during FH-1. The core stage, which had throttled down during the early ascent, fired for an additional minute after the boosters jettisonned before separating to perform its own entry and landing burns to land on OCISLY at about T+9 minutes 48 seconds. The second stage fired from T+3:42 until T+8:48 to reach a low earth parking orbit. The payload fairing separated about 56 seconds into the second stage burn. After a coast, the second stage ignited again at T+27:34 for 1:26 to accelerate into the final orbit. Arabsat 6A separated about 34 minutes after liftoff. Lockheed Martin built Arabsat 6A, which is an enhanced LM 2100 satellite fitted with lightweight solar arrays. It will serve the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. FH-2 performed a static test firing at LC 39A on April 5. An April 10 launch attempt was scrubbed by high winds before propellant loading began. References Falcon 9 Data Sheets, SpaceX, 2008-2016 Falcon 9 Users Guide, SpaceX, 2009, 2015 Falcon Family Brochure, SpaceX, 2011 Updates at www.spacex.com