Since then, the vehicle has only had two flights: Arabsat-6A in April 2019, and STP-2 in June 2019.

However, this hiatus is drawing to a close and Falcon Heavy is preparing to make a return, and in a glorious fashion.

First and foremost, 2021 has been a year many space enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting regarding FH. Not only will this end the hiatus with a launch, but rather two launches in this year alone.

The upcoming mission is USSF-44. Currently, this mission is set for no earlier than May 2021 and will mark 23 months since STP-2.

USSF-44 is a mission for the U.S. Space Force, carrying a classified payload to a Geostationary Orbit (GSO). Notably, the payload will be inserted directly into a GSO as opposed to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), because the impressive capability of Falcon Heavy can do so.

The mission will utilize a brand new core and boosters, significantly being the first dual-droneship landing using ‘Just Read The Instructions’ and ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ for side-booster recovery (B1064 and B1065). The center core (B1066) will be expended, in order to provide more energy to get the payload into a direct GSO.

And then two months later, we will see USSF-52, set for no earlier than July 2021.

Much like the previous mission, this is another classified payload for the U.S. Space Force. Details of the orbit and recovery operations are not yet known and this will likely come nearer the time, typical of governmental payloads.

ViaSat-3 is then the next mission, set for no earlier than January 2022.

This is a commercial payload for Viasat, an American communications company, whereby ViaSat-3 will boost its constellation of satellites in orbit.

2022 will feature three launches of FH in total, Psyche and USSF-67 in addition to ViaSat-3.

Not only has Falcon Heavy returned from its slumber to launch multiple missions in the foreseeable, it has also been chosen for a pivotal and historic mission.

On February 9 2021, NASA selected SpaceX and its Falcon Heavy to launch the first segments of the Lunar Gateway; more specifically, the Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO).

This will mark the beginning of NASA’s Artemis Program Lunar Gateway, an orbiting outpost similar in function to the International Space Station but will allow for frequent and long-duration missions to the Moon.

This mission is set for no earlier than May 2024, and will launch on a Falcon Heavy using an extended fairing, from the historic Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral.

It is fair to say that Falcon Heavy has got a busy future ahead, and although it’s disappearance for what will be nearly two years, has been disappointing, it’s return couldn’t be more glorious with 2021, 2022 and 2024 launches scheduled.

And as for 2024, being chosen to launch the first segments of a hugely historic lunar outpost will be one special flight for the vehicle.

Go Falcon Heavy!

These are accomplishments which should not be taken lightly. These rapid developments have shown that SpaceX has the ability to take on incredible technical challenges and accomplish them. The next immediate goals for the company are now to have more frequent launches with the Falcon Heavy, which launched successfully earlier in 2018, and to have a manned flight in the dragon space capsule. However, these are just minor goals along the way to accomplishing Elon’s master plan.

From the beginning, the plan has been to get to Mars, period. Elon has stated numerous reasons why he wants this, the most important being the survival of our species. As we now know, our planet is fragile and humanity has not had a good impact on it. If we continue on the same pace as we are now, our planet may one day be inhospitable. Or who knows, maybe a giant asteroid will hit our planet and cause massive devastation. Regardless of what happens, Mars can be seen as a life boat for humanity itself. On its surface are all the materials needed for humans to survive and, perhaps one day, to thrive. We have discovered water, oxygen can be extracted from the CO2 currently making up the Martian atmosphere, and building materials are readily available. A self-sustaining colony would take decades of development, cost billions of dollars, and provide little economic incentive, however, those are problems for another day. The first step is to get there.

So far SpaceX has only ventured outside our planet’s gravity once. Essentially an intergalactic shot in the dark to show they are serious about Mars. The secondary goal of the inaugurating test flight of the Falcon Heavy, currently the world’s most powerful rocket, was to put a Tesla Model S into orbit around Mars. However, this did not go according to plan and the Tesla missed the mark and is now in orbit around the Sun instead. Regardless of the minor directional control issues on the later stage, this launch showed that SpaceX could successfully launch a huge multistage rocket and delivery a payload deep into interstellar space. Even though the Falcon Heavy has been active for less than a year, SpaceX is already beginning to develop its next rocket, the one that will send mankind for Mars.

This rocket has been named Starship and its specs are impressive. It will be almost 400 feet tall, supply about 14 million pounds of thrust, and be able to send over 100,000 kilograms of equipment to the surface of Mars. The plan right now is to send the rocket into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) around the Earth and then refuel it for the journey to Mars. This allows the rocket to carry more supplies more efficiently. This rocket will also be completely reusable and be capable of making multiple trips to and from Mars, drastically reducing the cost of each flight. Even though it is still in the development phase, this rocket has the power to send mankind to its next evolutionary step. Similar to the Saturn V which carried Neil Armstrong to the moon, or even the Santa Maria which sent Columbus to the New World, this ship, carrying Elon Musk’s vision, has the power to carry the torch of humanity to a new planet. Expect big news from SpaceX in the next decade.