Bloomberg Technology/Dana Hull: Musk Sets a Low Bar for SpaceX Launch

Bloomberg Technology

Musk Sets a Low Bar for SpaceX Launch
By Dana Hull
Mon Feb 5 21:58:39 2018
Updated on Tue Feb 6 00:10:32 2018
From

    Test flight of Falcon Heavy rocket set for Tuesday in Florida
    Cameras on Roadster to give ‘epic views’ on way to Mars: CEO

Space Angels CEO Chad Anderson discusses the upcoming launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.

The maiden flight of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s larger and more powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will be a success if it doesn’t blow up on the launch pad, according to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.

“This is a test mission, so we don’t want to set expectations of perfection,” Musk said on a call with reporters Monday ahead of the planned demonstration flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “I would consider it a win if it just clears the pad.”

The new rocket, which is expected to take off as early as 1:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, is a reusable “super heavy” launch vehicle that will allow the closely held company to bid on heavier commercial and government payloads. It has double the capacity of its closest competitor, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy. And competitors are watching closely, with Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin LLC and ULA’s Tory Bruno both wishing Musk good luck via Twitter as tourists swarm Florida’s space coast.

Read More: Musk’s New Falcon Heavy Rocket Gets Ready For First Test Flight

In terms of design, Falcon Heavy is basically three of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets strapped together. While one Falcon 9 has nine Merlin engines in its first stage, Falcon Heavy has 27. The Hawthorne, California-based company, whose driving principle is to design rockets for reusability, will attempt to land all three rocket cores for re-use in a later launch and posted an animation on Mondiay of what the mission could look like.

If the demonstration flight goes well, Musk said SpaceX would plan to fly its first mission for a paying satellite operator in three to six months. If it goes badly and the pad is destroyed, it could take up to a year to restore the site before launches can resume, though rocket production would continue during that time, he said.

“It will be a really huge downer if it blows up,” Musk said. “If something goes wrong, hopefully it goes wrong far into the mission so we at least learn as much as possible along the way.”
Epic Views

The Falcon Heavy’s demonstration flight is targeting Mars orbit, with Musk’s personal red Tesla Roadster sports car as the payload. Musk said that three cameras would be mounted on the Roadster, which should provide “epic views” of the car floating toward Mars, if all goes to plan.

SpaceX had originally expected the Falcon Heavy would send two paying tourists around the moon late this year. But Musk wrote on Instagram Monday that SpaceX will likely use its still-in-development “Big F---ing Rocket” for moon missions instead.

“Could do crewed missions to the moon and Mars with orbital refilling, but better to leave that to the BFR program,” he said. When asked about the moon plans during the conference call, Musk declined to give an updated timeline and said that the BFR development is “moving quickly.”

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
LEARN MORE
Have a confidential news tip?
Get in touch with our reporters.
Bloomberg Hyperdrive
technology
A Driverless Future Threatens the Laws of Real Estate
by Jack Sidders and Jess Shankleman
Google Emails Show Internal Concern Over Losing Driverless Lead
The Breakneck Rise of China’s Colossus of Electric-Car Batteries
technology
A User’s Guide to the Dawn of Robot Driving
by Keith Naughton and Gabrielle Coppola
AI and Robot Driving
Robot Delivery Vans Are Arriving Before Self-Driving Cars
The PayPal Mafia of Self-Driving Cars Has Been at It a Decade
How GM Bought Its Way to the Front of the Driverless-Car Pack
Elon Musk Was Wrong About Self-Driving Teslas
Space and Flight
Air-Taxi Startup Has a Working Prototype and a Fresh $100 Million
SpaceX’s New Beast of a Rocket Is Go for Launch
These Giant Printers Are Meant to Make Rockets
SpaceX Is Getting Closer to Mars, One Rocket at a Time
Electric Vehicles
The Near Future of Electric Cars: Many Models, Few Buyers
This Electric Truck Will Probably Beat Tesla’s to Market
Beijing’s Electric-Car Push Could Produce a World-Class Chinese Auto Brand
Tesla’s Newest Promises Break the Laws of Batteries
Data and Projects
Electric Car Dreams Run Into Metal Crunch: A Guide to Cobalt
The Future According to Elon Musk
How to Automate Ourselves Out of Shipping and Shopping
We’re Going to Need More Lithium
Video
The History Behind the Waymo-Uber Feud
The Waymo vs. Uber trial kicked off today in San Francisco. Bloomberg Technology's Eric Newcomer looks at the history behind the feud. (Source: Bloomberg)
The Electric Van With No Driver, or Passengers, Needed
Thor Wants to Throw Down an Electric Hammer on Tesla
Why Electric Cars Aren't Taking Over Yet
Nissan Develops Car That Will Read Brain Waves
Japan's Answer to SpaceX Launches First Rocket
Tesla Delivers the New Model 3, Here's a First Look
Can This Company Become China’s SpaceX?
More from Hyperdrive
What It’s Like to Be the Uber of the Middle East
Adam Popescu
For Once, Uber Needs Travis Kalanick to Speak Up
Joel Rosenblatt
GM’s Self-Driving Cars Are Catching Up to Waymo’s
David Welch and Mark Bergen
The Unlikely Technology Helping Autonomous Cars See
Jack Kaskey
A Floating Car Is Born From the Carnage of Japan’s Tsunami
Jie Ma and Nao Sano
A Steelmaker’s Plan to Win Back the Car of the Future
Thomas Biesheuvel
Fiat Chrysler’s Marchionne: The Future of Cars Will Be Electric and Commoditized
Tommaso Ebhardt
Tesla’s Model 3: Slowest. Rollout. Ever.
Dana Hull
Terms of Service Trademarks Privacy Policy ©2018 Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved
Careers Made in NYC Advertise Ad Choices Website Feedback Help