Support Equipment

Falcon Heavy

Also known as
  • SpaceX Falcon Heavy
  • FH

Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's partially reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, built from a center core and two Falcon-derived side boosters. Its catalog relevance is as launch support for U.S. national-security space systems: Space Systems Command identifies USSF-44 as the first National Security Space Launch mission on Falcon Heavy, and USSF-52 used Falcon Heavy to launch the X-37B OTV-7 mission.

Falcon Heavy, Partially reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, Support Equipment
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Falcon Heavy Demo Mission Image
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
SpaceX
Type
Partially reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle
Service note
2018-present
Designer
SpaceX
Designed
2000s-2010s
Produced
2010s-present

Specifications

Configuration
Center core with two Falcon 9-derived side boosters
Engines
27 Merlin 1D engines at liftoff
Liftoff thrust
22,819 kN / 5,130,000 lbf
Height
70 m / 229.6 ft
Width
12.2 m / 39.9 ft
Launch mass
1,420,788 kg / 3,125,735 lb
Payload to LEO
63,800 kg / 140,660 lb
Payload to GTO
26,700 kg / 58,860 lb
Launch site
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, for Falcon Heavy missions
National Security Payloads

Falcon Heavy's directly documented national-security launch role includes classified and experimental U.S. Space Force payloads carried under the National Security Space Launch program.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, Reusable unmanned orbital test vehicle, Support EquipmentX-37B Orbital Test VehicleReusable unmanned orbital test vehicle

USSF-52 launched the seventh X-37B mission on Falcon Heavy, marking the first X-37B flight on that launch vehicle.

Sources: USSF seventh X-37B launch, DAF X-37B Mission 7 preparation

Falcon-Family Architecture

Falcon Heavy scales the reusable Falcon launch family by combining a center core with two Falcon 9-derived side boosters. The resulting first-stage stack uses 27 Merlin engines at liftoff, while the upper-stage and payload-interface architecture remains part of the Falcon launch-services family.

Falcon 9 relationship

Falcon 9 is the single-core Falcon launch vehicle; Falcon Heavy uses three Falcon-derived first-stage cores for heavier missions.

National-security role

SSC treats Falcon Heavy as part of the NSSL launch fleet for demanding payloads rather than as a battlefield weapon.

Timeline

Falcon Heavy Key Events

  1. First Falcon Heavy flight

    Falcon Heavy reached orbit on its first flight from Launch Complex 39A, using a three-core Falcon architecture with 27 Merlin engines.

    Sources: NASA Falcon Heavy first flight

  2. USSF-44 launches on Falcon Heavy

    Space Systems Command described USSF-44 as the first National Security Space Launch mission flown on a Falcon Heavy rocket.

    Sources: SSC USSF-44 launch

  3. USSF-67 follows on Falcon Heavy

    SSC reported that USSF-67 was the second National Security Space Launch mission for the U.S. Space Force on SpaceX Falcon Heavy.

    Sources: SSC USSF-67 launch

  4. USSF-52 launches X-37B OTV-7

    The U.S. Space Force launched the seventh X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission on Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

    Sources: USSF seventh X-37B launch

  5. OTV-7 begins aerobraking

    The Falcon Heavy-launched OTV-7 mission began aerobraking after conducting radiation-effects experiments and testing space-domain-awareness technologies in highly elliptical orbit.

    Sources: USSF X-37B aerobraking

  6. OTV-7 concludes at Vandenberg

    The X-37B OTV-7 mission landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after more than 434 days in orbit.

    Sources: USSF X-37B OTV-7 conclusion

  7. SpaceX receives NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contract

    Space Systems Command awarded SpaceX a National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 contract for demanding national-security payloads.

    Sources: SSC NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts

Media

Falcon Heavy Videos

Falcon Heavy Images

Falcon Heavy, Partially reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: USSF seventh X-37B launch
Falcon Heavy, Partially reusable heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, Support Equipment - view 2
Source: USSF seventh X-37B launch
Related Weapon Systems
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, Reusable unmanned orbital test vehicle, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentX-37B Orbital Test VehicleReusable unmanned orbital test vehicleThe X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is a Boeing-built, uncrewed autonomous spaceplane operated for U.S. government orbital experimentation by the Department of the Air Force and U.S. Space Force. Public mission reporting describes it as a returnable test platform that has launched on Atlas V, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets, landed autonomously at runway sites, and flown eight missions as of the OTV-8 launch in August 2025.
Space-Based Infrared System / SBIRS, Missile-warning satellite constellation, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentSpace-Based Infrared System / SBIRSMissile-warning satellite constellationSpace-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is the U.S. Space Force space-based missile-warning constellation that replaced Defense Support Program coverage with geosynchronous satellites, highly elliptical orbit payloads, and consolidated ground processing. Lockheed Martin led the space and ground system, Northrop Grumman supplied infrared payloads, and official reporting says SBIRS provided early warning during Iran's April 2024 missile and drone attack on Israel.

Sources

Falcon Heavy | SpaceXPublisher: SpaceX | Note: Supports Falcon Heavy manufacturer background, heavy-lift role, public dimensions, launch mass, and payload-to-orbit figures. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Falcon Payload User's GuidePublisher: SpaceX | Note: Supports Falcon Heavy architecture, Merlin engine count, liftoff thrust, strengthened center-core context, and LC-39A launch-site context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13NASA Falcon Heavy first flightPublisher: NASA | Note: Supports the February 2018 Falcon Heavy demonstration flight, three-core Falcon architecture, and 27-engine launch configuration. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SSC USSF-44 launchPublisher: Space Systems Command | Note: Supports Falcon Heavy's first National Security Space Launch mission, vehicle configuration, payload figures, engine count, and booster-reuse context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SSC USSF-67 launchPublisher: Space Systems Command | Note: Supports USSF-67 as the second National Security Space Launch mission for the U.S. Space Force on SpaceX Falcon Heavy. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USSF seventh X-37B launchPublisher: United States Space Force | Note: Supports USSF-52 launching X-37B OTV-7 on Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, and supports USSF-52 image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-13DAF X-37B Mission 7 preparationPublisher: United States Space Force | Note: Supports OTV-7 as the first X-37B mission planned for Falcon Heavy and describes the mission's space-domain-awareness and radiation-effects objectives. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USSF X-37B aerobrakingPublisher: United States Space Force | Note: Supports the OTV-7 aerobraking milestone and post-launch experiment context for the Falcon Heavy-launched X-37B mission. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USSF X-37B OTV-7 conclusionPublisher: United States Space Force | Note: Supports the March 2025 OTV-7 landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base after more than 434 days in orbit. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SSC NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contractsPublisher: Space Systems Command | Note: Supports SpaceX's April 2025 NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 contract award and broader national-security launch-provider context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SSC FY2026 Lane 2 mission assignmentsPublisher: Space Systems Command | Note: Supports SpaceX's ongoing National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 mission-assignment context without assigning those missions to a specific Falcon Heavy vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikimedia Commons Falcon Heavy Demo Mission ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a SpaceX-authored Falcon Heavy launch photograph released under a CC0 public-domain dedication. | Accessed: 2026-07-13