SpaceX launches world's most powerful rocket 'Falcon Heavy' on Space Force mission. Watch video

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Tuesday launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years, a towering rocket that is the most powerful currently in operation.

The secretive USSF-44 mission, the first operational national security mission for Falcon Heavy, is being launched by SpaceX's rocket for the American Space Force. The Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission, launched in June 2019, carried experimental satellites on a test flight for the Pentagon.

The roket was lifted off from a launchpad at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:41 a.m. ET.





To achieve the Space Force's high-performance criteria for this mission, the corporation only plans to land the side pair of the three rocket boosters, with the centre core falling into the ocean as typical rockets do. Falcon Heavy's base is reusable.

The corporation has only accomplished three Falcon Heavy launches since the rocket made its debut in February 2018, primarily attributable to its clients' preparedness about its timeline.

This USSF-44 mission was initially planned for late 2020, and two additional Falcon Heavy flights, one for NASA and the other for the Space Force are also awaiting customer payloads. Falcon Heavy still has roughly a dozen missions on the backlog.

FAQ

What is SpaceX?
The Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is a company that produces spacecraft, conducts space launches, and provides satellite communications.

Who is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur of South African descent who cofounded PayPal and launched the launch vehicle and spaceship manufacturer SpaceX.