Elon Musk’s Falcon Heavy successfully launched into space

As thousands of spectators looked on, the rocket, developed by Musk’s firm SpaceX, lifted clear of Cape Canaveral’s launchpad 39a on 6^th Feb at 3:45 PM ET, marking what will surely be seen as a defining moment in the history of the private space sector.

Launch commences at 22.00 minutes into the following video:

With the launch, the vehicle has become the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. Composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than five million pounds of thrust at liftoff, the spacecraft is able to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb). This is more than twice the payload of the next most powerful rocket, Boeing’s Delta IV Heavy. Critically, largely because key components of the system are designed to return to earth after launch, it can do this at one-third the cost.