---
title: "The Falcon Heavy Just Launched Successfully. Next Stop, Mars."
description: "SpaceX successfully launched their Falcon Heavy today, and the massive spacecraft is now the most powerful rocket in the world."
date: "2018-02-06"
modified: "2018-02-07"
authors:
  - name: "Brad Jones"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/bradj"
url: "https://futurism.com/falcon-heavy-launched-next-stop-mars"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Falcon"
  - "Mars"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "Falcon Heavy"
  - "SpaceX"
---

# The Falcon Heavy Just Launched Successfully. Next Stop, Mars.

![Falcon Heavy](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/26405462060_81f8289687_k.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/26405462060/in/photolist-GemUfy-GemTVf-y4WJrs-xPD9sC-21MwdT6-21MwdAc-21Mwdn6-21Mwdd8-22LenaK-HPDJjV-22Len2Z-ECXtmm-HPDJbD-22Len4c-22LemYT" target="\_blank"\>Flickr/SpaceX\</a\>\</em\>*

## A New Era

Today, February 6, [SpaceX](<http://www.spacex.com/>) successfully launched [Falcon Heavy](<http://www.spacex.com/falcon-heavy>).

At 3:45 p.m. ET, Falcon Heavy took off from Launch Complex 39A at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. It had successful stage and booster separation, and the two side cores executed a beautifully in sync landing at SpaceX's Landing Zones 1 and 2.

Unfortunately, it seems the center core did not settle on the company's "Of Course I Still Love You" drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean as planned. While SpaceX has yet to confirm the [loss of the core](<https://futurism.com/contest-find-the-falcon-heavys-center-core-because-we-cant>), in the [audio](<https://youtu.be/-B_tWbjFIGI?t=38m32s>) of a SpaceX clip from the launch, a voice can be heard saying, "We lost the center core."

https://youtu.be/jn7nrpjkNJ4

Falcon Heavy, which is now the world's most powerful rocket, carried a limited-edition Tesla Roadster as its payload, which will travel in an elliptical orbit around the Sun on its way toward Mars. Yes, seriously.

Don't let the sports car (complete with spacesuit-clad dummy) playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" distract you from the real, concrete achievement here, though. In addition to adding to the issue of space junk in a unique way, the car's trip toward Mars proves that Falcon Heavy is able to carry impressive payloads far beyond Earth.

## Humanity's Next Stop

Though originally designed to carry people, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told reporters during a teleconference on February 5 that Falcon Heavy will likely not be used for crewed missions. “It looks like [BFR](<http://spacenews.com/musk-offers-more-technical-details-on-bfr-system/>) development is moving quickly, and it will not be necessary to qualify Falcon Heavy for crewed spaceflight,” said Musk, [according to *SpaceNews*](<http://spacenews.com/spacex-no-longer-planning-crewed-missions-on-falcon-heavy/>). “We kind of tabled the Crew Dragon on Falcon Heavy in favor of focusing our energy on BFR.”

However, Musk did note that unexpected delays in BFR development could change that. “We’ll see how the BFR development goes,” he said. “If that ends up taking longer than expected, then we will return to the idea of sending a Crew Dragon on a Falcon Heavy around the Moon and potentially do other things with crew on Falcon Heavy.”

It may or may not be Falcon Heavy, but someday, you or I could [travel to Mars](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-has-a-plan-to-get-humans-to-mars-but-can-they-survive>) aboard a SpaceX craft. Seem like sci-fi? So does the idea of a billionaire entrepreneur sending his personal car into space to test a massive rocket.

![Falcon Heavy](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Falcon-Heavy-Launch.png>)
*Image Credit: SpaceX*

Beyond SpaceX, humanity's options for vehicles to the Moon or Mars are limited. NASA is currently developing the [Space Launch System](<https://futurism.com/nasa-plans-test-space-launch-system-2019>) (SLS), which is set to be more powerful than Falcon Heavy and just as capable of ferrying passengers. Current estimates suggest that it will be ready in 2022, but delays are common where massive rockets are concerned.

Overall, Falcon Heavy seems like the clear winner between the two vehicles because it's less expensive. Heavy launches will only cost $90 million as opposed to the [$500 million to $1 billion](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/news/a18955/the-space-launch-system-is-a-big-rocket-with-nowhere-to-go/>) a SLS launch would run. Given the [limitations of NASA's budget](<https://futurism.com/trumps-budget-proposal-cuts-international-space-station-funding-2025>) and the current administration's urgent desire to return to the Moon, SpaceX's rocket seems to be a compelling alternative for a Mars mission.

Today's successful Falcon Heavy launch will help SpaceX generate interest in space exploration. That interest could translate to new partnerships and increased funding, which the company will need to support their ambitious work to get humanity to our next stop: Mars.