Elon Musk’s SpaceX has released a new video/flight animation portraying the largest rocket in the world, the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket.
Set to launch for the first time later this year, the gigantic rocket is capable of hauling over 115,000 pounds (53,000 kg) to low-earth orbit.
Essentially three of SpaceX’s current Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, the Falcon Heavy will officially be the world’s most powerful operational rocket upon its launch in 2015.
But the real buzz around the Falcon Heavy rocket comes from the fact that Musk wants to do the unthinkable, and have the rocket land itself three separate times for each rocket booster, on a floating barge in the middle of the ocean.
By doing this, Musk hopes SpaceX can severely cut costs and perform more missions thanks to re-usable parts and accelerated launch schedules.
A recent landing test saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9-R barely miss the 300-by-100-foot barge and endure quite the explosion earlier this year.
However, Musk believes had the rocket not run out of hydraulic fluid prior to landing, there is a very good chance the rocket might actually have landed on the barge on the very first attempt!
Only time will tell how close we are to seamlessly landing rockets returning from outer space.
