SpaceX's Falcon Heavy To Launch Most Expensive Payload Made NASA Embarrassed...

Five billion dollars for a mission of NASA, a staggering sum that would make any hard-working taxpayer gasp. So it would be bad if that number continued to increase due to mission delays or simply opting for an expendable rocket at an exorbitant price. Fortunately, that won't be the case with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. And in October, with the launch of one of NASA's most expensive missions, the mighty rocket once again reinforced the belief that even if demand declines, the Falcon Heavy will never get old. Find out everything in today's TechMap episode. But before we begin, let's subscribe to the channel to stay up to date with the latest space news. In October, we will witness a special mission of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Given that the workhorse rocket is taking charge to launch one of NASA's most expensive planetary science missions, Europa Clipper, up to five billion dollars, to the distant destination of Jupiter. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will fly by Mars, then back by Earth, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. These so-called gravity assists will provide Europa Clipper with the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in 2030. In a statement on August 28, NASA announced that the mission remains on track, with a launch period opening on Thursday, October 10. The next major milestone for Clipper is Key Decision Point E on Monday, September 9, in which the agency will decide whether the project is ready to proceed to launch and mission operations. NASA will provide more information at a mission overview and media briefing targeted for that same week. This is a positive sign for a mission, which was in doubt in July whether it should be delayed. At that time, NASA announced that testing of the transistors showed some were likely to fail in the high-radiation environment created by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field. It leads to the challenges of launching a mission in time. NASA said they would determine how many transistors may be susceptible and how they will perform in flight. They were evaluating options for maximizing the transistors' longevity in the Jupiter system. Fortunately, the mission team finally completed the testing of transistors used in the power supply system on the spacecraft. Analysis of the results suggests the transistors can support the baseline mission, NASA said. Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy during a three-week window that opens on October 10. The heavy-lift rocket was chosen for its affordability, reliability and engineering adaptability. NASA, in its fiscal year 2021 budget request, argued that a commercial launch could save the agency over $1.5 billion, compared to using a space launch system rocket. Due to Europa Clipper's value and complexity, NASA required that vehicles have performed at least three successful launches, including at least two successful consecutive launches. Fortunately by then, Falcon Heavy had flown three times, all successfully, although it has not launched since June 2019. NASA's SLS had its maiden launch delayed to 2022. Alternative vehicles with the performance required for the mission, such as Blue Origin's New Glenn and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, still stayed on the ground. Furthermore, launching on Falcon Heavy will reduce launch vibration, protecting the payload better. The SLS, a massive rocket, relied on two solid rocket boosters during launch, generating significant vibrations. SLS program officials had assured NASA leadership that the twisting load, a measure of the rocket's twist and shake, would be within acceptable limits. However, subsequent tests conducted by NASA revealed a startling reality. The actual twisting load was nearly double the SLS program's estimates. For all these reasons, the agency decided to make the switch to the Falcon Heavy. On the other hand, launching Europa Clipper on Falcon Heavy, rather than SLS, results in tradeoffs on both cost and schedule. SLS would have offered a faster ride for Europa Clipper. An SLS launch would have allowed the spacecraft to fly directly to Jupiter, arriving less than three years after launch. With Falcon Heavy, Europa Clipper will make gravity-assist flybys of Mars and Earth, arriving at Jupiter five and a half years after launch. While the time tradeoff is not ideal, the agency decided it was the better overall option to select the SpaceX rocket, based on the above mentions. For SpaceX and space enthusiasts, it would be better to see Falcon Heavy launch this mission. This will fulfill Falcon Heavy's manifest this year, which is inherently few in number due to the low demand on the market. In 2024, the Falcon Heavy is expected to play a role in a limited number of launches, with only one Falcon Heavy launch conducted so far this year, namely the GOES-U mission, which took place in June. This has been opposite to SpaceX's 2024 ambitious goal, aiming for 148 launches across all its rocket families, primarily driven by the deployment of Starlink satellites and other commercial missions on Falcon 9. The Falcon Heavy's utilization is constrained primarily by shifts in the satellite launch market and the increased capabilities of the Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon Heavy's design is more suited for launching large payloads, but the commercial satellite market is increasingly favoring smaller payloads. As a result, many satellite operators are opting for medium-lift rockets like the Falcon 9, which can carry heavier payloads than originally expected due to upgrades. The Falcon 9's cost of approximately $67 million per launch is also more appealing compared to the Falcon Heavy's $97 million, making it the preferred choice for most missions. Realizing the dramatically rising demand a long ago, SpaceX moved lots and lots of optimizations, especially on the Merlin engine, which was originally slated for Heavy-to-Falcon 9 over time. Furthermore, there has been a significant drop in orders for large geostationary satellites, which were once the primary market for heavy-lift rockets. Factors contributing to this decline include the long-term cycles of fleet replacement by major satellite operators and the emergence of new technologies, such as non-geostationary satellite constellations, which do not require the heavy-lifting capabilities of the Falcon Heavy. Another reason is the development of Starship. Despite its impressive capabilities, the Falcon Heavy is viewed as an interim vehicle. SpaceX's focus is increasingly shifting towards the development of the Starship, which is intended to replace both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy for a broader range of missions, including crewed spaceflight and interplanetary travel. This shift indicates that Falcon Heavy may not have a long-term role in SpaceX's future plans. Nevertheless, for many people, Falcon Heavy never gets old. Each launch of this masculine rocket attracts a huge of public attention, even though six years have passed since its first launch, and its number of launches so far is just counted on your fingers. Clearly, its maiden launch in 2018 is a legendary event for many people. The hotel in the area is completely sold out. The parking lots are parked. The reason is very simple. This is not a typical day in Space Coast. Falcon Heavy at that time is the biggest rocket in the world. With 70 meters in height and 3.7 meters in diameter, it consists of three modified, strapped-together first stages of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. Contemporary rockets such as Russia's Soyuz are just 45.6 meters in height and 10.3 meters in diameter, powered by Merlin 1D, generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. It is billed as the world's most powerful operational booster since NASA's Saturn V. More notably, the separation system that the workhorse rocket uses was something shocking. Elon Musk said before the rocket's maiden launch that the separation system that tosses off the side boosters had never been tested before in space, so that's going to be a very big deal for that to work. Even so far, the sight of both rocket sides breaking apart from the core after liftoff has still stoked the viewers' emotions, and the SpaceX CEO is not exceptional. On July 1st, he shared a clip recording that surreal scene on X as a way to arouse pride. The successful first launch of Falcon Heavy was truly a blessing because it then paved the way for SpaceX's new era where they won lucrative contracts to launch the biggest satellite in the world. Indeed, a year after the successful demo flight, SpaceX signed five commercial contracts worth $500 to $750 million, meaning that it had managed to cover the development cost of the rocket, which was more than $500 million. Not to mention, the orders did arrive before the incredible test flight, which belonged to the 2012 first Falcon Heavy launch contract with DoD. And that just about wraps it up for today's episode. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you next time. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to like and subscribe. And as always, I'll see you in the next video. Cheers.