Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

Falcon Heavy

A Falcon Heavy on the pad before its first flight.

Photo: spacex / CC0

Falcon Heavy is SpaceX’s super heavy-lift rocket. It joins a centre core to two Falcon 9 boosters, with a second stage on top. Its first launch, the Falcon Heavy Test Flight on 6 February 2018, carried a Tesla Roadster with a mannequin called Starman at the wheel. The second flight, on 11 April 2019, brought all three boosters back to Earth. A third followed in June 2019, and the rocket has since been certified for National Security Space Launch missions. Only the Space Launch System, Energia and the Saturn V can lift more to orbit. As of 2018 SpaceX did not plan to carry people on it.

Events

  • 29 April 2026

    ViaSat-3 F3

    The first attempt was stopped by the weather. The countdown reached propellant loading and strongback retraction before a hold and a stand-down, with the next opportunity the following day.

    2 videos
    • Everyday Astronaut

  • 28 July 2023

    Hughes JUPITER 3

    Wednesday's countdown stopped with one minute five seconds to go. A valve on a side booster had stuck open, and the launch director called the abort. The valve was replaced, the checks passed, and the rocket flew on Friday night.

    2 videos
    • SpaceX

  • 6 February 2018

    Falcon Heavy Demonstration Mission

    1 video
    • SciNews

  • Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

    Roman has a mirror the size of Hubble's, 2.4 metres, but a camera that sees about 200 times more sky at once. It is an infrared survey telescope: it is built to look at a lot of sky and find things, which the narrower telescopes can then study.

    7 videos
    • Everyday Astronaut
    • NASA
    • NASASpaceflight

  • Falcon Heavy Test Flight

    Twenty-seven engines, one rocket. Falcon Heavy is three Falcon 9 first-stage cores, each with nine Merlin 1D engines, strapped together under a Falcon 9 second stage.

    3 videos
    • SpaceX
    • VideoFromSpace

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. Falcon Heavy’s First Flight: Three Cores, 27 Engines, a Roadster

    SpaceX

  2. Falcon Heavy’s Maiden Flight: Launch and Booster Separation

    SciNews

  3. Falcon Heavy Sends Starman and a Tesla Roadster Around the Sun

    SpaceX

  4. Falcon Heavy’s First Flight: Tesla Roadster and Booster Landings

    VideoFromSpace

  5. Falcon Heavy JUPITER 3 Countdown Aborted at T-1:05, Launch Scrubbed

    SpaceX

  6. Falcon Heavy Launches Hughes JUPITER 3 After a Valve Scrub

    SpaceX

  7. Super Heavy’s 33 Raptors vs Saturn V’s Five F1 Engines Explained

    Curious Droid

  8. ViaSat-3 F3 Falcon Heavy: Weather Stops the First Flight Since 2024

    Everyday Astronaut

  9. Falcon Heavy Launches ViaSat-3 F3 and Lands Both Side Boosters

    Everyday Astronaut

  10. Roman Space Telescope: Hubble-Sized Mirror, 200 Times the View

    Everyday Astronaut

  11. Roman Space Telescope Prelaunch Briefing: Falcon Heavy, Weather

    NASA

  12. Roman Space Telescope Science Briefing Ahead of Launch

    NASA

  13. Falcon Heavy Launches the Roman Space Telescope Toward L2

    Everyday Astronaut

  14. Roman Space Telescope Launches on Falcon Heavy: NASA Briefing

    NASA

  15. Roman Space Telescope Launch on Falcon Heavy From Pad 39A

    NASA

  16. Zhuque-3 Landing, Roman Telescope Launch and SpaceX’s Louisiana Plan

    Scott Manley

  17. Starship Flight 14 Reaches Orbit and Three Falcons Fly in One Day

    Scott Manley

  18. Roman Space Telescope: Falcon Heavy Launch and Path to L2

    NASASpaceflight
Play video: Roman Space Telescope: Falcon Heavy Launch and Path to L2

Roman Space Telescope: Falcon Heavy Launch and Path to L2

NASASpaceflight

Duration 1:36:36

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Falcon Heavy’s First Flight: Tesla Roadster and Booster Landings

    Launch coverageVideoFromSpace · 10:40

    Mission: Falcon Heavy Test Flight

  5. Roman Space Telescope: Falcon Heavy Launch and Path to L2

    Mission explainerNASASpaceflight · 1:36:36

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  6. Roman Space Telescope Prelaunch Briefing: Falcon Heavy, Weather

    Press briefingNASA · 1:33:06

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  7. Falcon Heavy JUPITER 3 Countdown Aborted at T-1:05, Launch Scrubbed

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 23:26

    Mission: Hughes JUPITER 3 (2023)

  8. Falcon Heavy Launches Hughes JUPITER 3 After a Valve Scrub

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 3:50:00

    Mission: Hughes JUPITER 3 (2023)

  9. Roman Space Telescope Launch on Falcon Heavy From Pad 39A

    Launch coverageNASA · 1:50:39

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  10. Roman Space Telescope Science Briefing Ahead of Launch

    Press briefingNASA · 1:02:44

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  11. Roman Space Telescope Launches on Falcon Heavy: NASA Briefing

    Press briefingNASA · 56:55

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  12. Falcon Heavy’s Maiden Flight: Launch and Booster Separation

    Launch coverageSciNews · 4:50

    Mission: Falcon Heavy Demonstration Mission (2018)

  13. ViaSat-3 F3 Falcon Heavy: Weather Stops the First Flight Since 2024

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 52:14

    Mission: ViaSat-3 F3 (2026)

  14. Falcon Heavy Launches ViaSat-3 F3 and Lands Both Side Boosters

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 1:19:27

    Mission: ViaSat-3 F3 (2026)

  15. Roman Space Telescope: Hubble-Sized Mirror, 200 Times the View

    Mission explainerEveryday Astronaut · 12:49

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  16. Falcon Heavy Launches the Roman Space Telescope Toward L2

    Launch coverageEveryday Astronaut · 1:35:38

    Mission: Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  17. Falcon Heavy’s First Flight: Three Cores, 27 Engines, a Roadster

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 34:19

    Mission: Falcon Heavy Test Flight

  18. Falcon Heavy Sends Starman and a Tesla Roadster Around the Sun

    Mission explainerSpaceX · 1:53

    Mission: Falcon Heavy Test Flight

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