For this assignment, we will be looking at the recently launched SpaceX Falcon Heavy. This revolutionary spacecraft has an enormous lift capacity unmatched by any previous rockets. With great capability comes great risks, and the SpaceX Falcon Heavy is no exception.
To start off, we will identify the vulnerability of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The Falcon Heavy is derived from essentially using a Falcon 9 core with 2 Falcon 9 first stage boosters strapped to it. Needless to say, compatibility would be a critical issue in this project. In the previous Falcon 9 rockets, there has never been one of these three-part rockets in the history of SpaceX rockets. The finest engineers were assembled to create a new kind of structure which would uphold SpaceX’s expectation for reusability and compatibility. They would need a structure to be able hold together the three parts of the rocket while exerting the lift equivalent of 18 passenger 747’s at full thrust. This complex problem created so much issue for the engineering team that the initial launch was pushed back for a period of 5 years.
Furthermore, since Falcon heavy was designed to be a 2 stage rocket, this would mean they will need a kind of engine which is capable of being ignited in space. They risk of such an engine failure would not only mean almost certain death for any of the passenger and crew aboard, but also complete economic loss for whatever was in the payload. Knowing these risks, the engineers at SpaceX designed and developed the Merlin Engine. The Merlin Engine is made specifically for the vacuum space. It is capable of re-ignition in space and is fully functional in space. Each part of the rocket contains 9 Merlin Engines to protect the rocket from engine failures in space.
Just like any project or research, finance and economic risks are one of the most critical aspect of a project. SpaceX is a private commercial entity. As such, its ultimate goal is to eventually generate revenue. Just as private development efforts that have come before it, if a company does not see a possibility of generating future profits, a project would not be able to survive. Thus, as any good entrepreneur would think, Elon Musk funded the Falcon Heavy Rocket expecting that in the future it would be commercially viable to send rockets into space. To prevent the risk of a project such as Falcon Heavy from becoming a liability instead of an asset, Musk pioneered the reusable rockets to achieve maximum economic benefits. The design of the Falcon Heavy rocket is a witness to spacecrafts being able to pay for itself in the future. Not only are the 2 first stage boosters reusable, the lift from these boosters enable the Falcon Heavy to carry an enormous amount of payload to offset the costs. Musk explains that in the future, he thinks it will be possible to send goods to lower earth orbit for about 500 USD per pound. Not only does this mean commercial space flight would be economically viable. Projects like the Falcon Heavy would also receive more funding and global attention.