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

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy flew for the first time on Feb. 6, 2018, carrying Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster to space. The launch was billed as a test flight, and the replay follows it from the countdown through the booster landings.

Liftoff and ascent

The countdown began with a 30-second call, a "go for launch" poll and confirmation that Falcon Heavy was configured for flight. After liftoff, the launch commentators described the flight as building on the history of Saturn V and Apollo, and said it was heading to an interplanetary mission.

The vehicle throttled down for Max Q, the period of maximum dynamic pressure and loads on the vehicle, then went supersonic. The side boosters throttled back up to full power and the commentary said the vehicle was past Max Q. Engine performance was reported as nominal.

Booster separation

About two and a half minutes into the flight the side boosters throttled down ahead of engine cut-off and separation. The separation was called successful, and the center core kept burning with its engines on power.

Starman and the return burns

After separation, the broadcast showed Starman in the Tesla Roadster. The hosts called the footage "absolutely wild". The screens then showed the upper stage continuing its burn, the center core heading for the autonomous spaceport drone ship, and the two side boosters heading for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station landing zones 1 and 2.

Each booster performed a re-entry burn to slow from far faster than the speed of sound to just faster than it, reducing aerodynamic forces and heating. Landing burns followed, the landing legs deployed, and both side boosters were called as landed at the landing zones.

Center core and upper stage

The center core then attempted its landing on the drone ship. The commentators noted that heavy vibrations sometimes make the drone ship camera feed lose signal, and the signal was lost during the attempt. People were heard cheering, but the result was not yet confirmed. The second stage reached a nominal parking orbit and was described as continuing its trajectory toward Mars. The mission host closed by calling it an outstanding flight of Falcon Heavy.