— SpaceX's 1st Falcon Heavy rocket launched Elon Musk's Tesla into space The Falcon Heavy consists of three first stages of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The central booster is topped with an upper stage and the payloads, which are encased in a fairing. The three first stages are designed to be reusable, as is the fairing. The boosters on the April 30 launch were not recovered, because they expended all their fuel getting the heavy payload to distant geostationary orbit. But SpaceX apparently did aim to recover the fairings after the flight. Falcon Heavy's first flight was in February 2018, a test that sent Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster into orbit with a mannequin nicknamed Starman at the wheel. Falcon Heavy has now launched a total of six times, including twice this year. The other 2023 flight was a mission for the U.S. Space Force that launched in January, dubbed USSF-67. Falcon Heavy used to be SpaceX's most powerful rocket, but it was eclipsed when the company's huge Starship vehicle lifted off for the first time on April 20. The test flight soared as high as 24 miles (39 km) until SpaceX deliberately destroyed the spacecraft during a tumble. SpaceX and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause and lessons learned; environmental groups have sued the FAA in the wake of the launch, saying the agency didn't properly assess the damage the vehicle could cause to the area around the launch site. Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. See all comments (1)