This vehicle, he said, “opens up a whole new class of payloads” and “it’s up to customers what they want to launch.” It also would analyze data from the rocket’s flight history.Īt a news conference Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he could not predict how many launches the Falcon Heavy will have to perform before it’s accepted for national security missions. The Air Force would then conduct a technical evaluation and detailed analysis of the launch vehicle design and a review of the company’s manufacturing and system engineering processes. Once the Air Force signs off on the company’s “statement of intent,” the government and SpaceX would negotiate a certification plan under a formal agreement. With fewer flights there would be more in-depth technical evaluations. These options require as many as 14 flights, or as few as two. ![]() The Air Force calls it a “risk-based approach” with four certification options based on the maturity of the launch system. ![]() The process is articulated in detail in the United States Air Force Launch Services New Entrant Certification Guide that was published in 2011. For new rockets like the Falcon Heavy, there are many variables at play, such as the confidence the government has in the design and its record flying commercial payloads into orbit. Air Force.Ĭertification could take as many as 14 or as few as two flights, a spokesperson for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Command, in Los Angeles, told SpaceNews. But the Falcon Heavy may have to nail many more missions before it passes the threshold to be certified by the U.S. Air Force has already booked the massive rocket for a June launch of a test payload. ![]() WASHINGTON - The inaugural launch on Tuesday of the world’s most powerful rocket sets the stage for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to begin the qualification process to compete for lucrative U.S.
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