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Was the SpaceX launch a game changer?

By Zhang Zhouxiang | China Daily | Updated: 2018-02-10 08:26

Has the successful launch of Falcon Heavy changed anything?

Yes and no. No, since Falcon Heavy has a payload of 63.8 tons in Low Earth Orbit. That payload is rather small compared with the Saturn V of the United States, which had a payload of 140 tons in LEO, and the Energia of the former Soviet Union, which had a payload of 105 tons in LEO. Falcon Heavy's payload is about 45 percent of the former and 61 percent of the latter. However, the Saturn V was introduced in 1967 for the Apollo moon missions and was last used in 1973 for the launch of Skylab, and the Energia-Buran was only used once, as production ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Even NASA' planned Space Launch System, currently under development, has a payload of 150 tons in LEO.

Was the SpaceX launch a game changer?

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