SpaceX Starts Work on Falcon Heavy Launch Site

Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has recently taken a major step in developing its new heavy-lift delivery system, which is called Falcon Heavy. On Wednesday, July 13, it broke ground at the rocket's future launch site.

The site is now called Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E), and is located at the Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), near Santa Barbara, California. SpaceX has now taken control of the facility, and plans to upgrade it so that it supports the Falcon Heavy rocket.

When completed, the delivery system will be more powerful than any other in the world, and will rival the massive Saturn V rockets that took the first American astronauts to the Moon. It will also be able to carry more cargo into orbit than any existing system.

Since it will be able to carry 53,000 kilograms (120,000 pounds) of cargo to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and 19,500 kilograms (43,000 pounds) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), the new rocket is classified as a super heavy lift launch system.

Speaking at the ceremony yesterday, SpaceX CEO and chief rocket designer Elon Musk said that his company wants a segment of the military satellite market. Currently, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin (the United Launch Alliance) launches all satellites for the US Department of Defense.

“These are difficult fiscal times for our federal government, and the Falcon vehicles can save the Department of Defense almost $2 billion per year in launch costs, while increasing reliability and capability,” Musk explained.

“This presents a great opportunity for the DoD to avoid cancelling other programs and minimize reductions in personnel as budgets contract,” adds the official, whose company will invest $30 million in modifying the launch pad.

Falcon Heavy will be able to carry payloads two times heavier than the ones that the ULA Delta 4 rocket can put into orbit. This vehicle is currently the most powerful in operation, but the Falcon Heavy will dwarf it in capabilities. The SpaceX rocket is powered by 27 Merlin engines.

At this point, the company estimates that each Falcon Heavy launch will cost about $100 million. For comparison, a Falcon 9 launch costs about $50 million. The heavy variant is made up of the standard Falcon 9 body, with two Falcon 9 first-stage boosters attached on the side, Space reports.