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→Objectives: Same as with the Starship flight test 1, it has been stated (in this very article) that getting FH off the pad was already considered a win.
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Move 1 url. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:URLREQ#thehill.com
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==Preparation==
In April 2011, SpaceX was planning for a first launch of Falcon Heavy from [[Vandenberg Air Force Base]] on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] in 2013.<ref name=PR-20110815>{{Cite press release |title=F9/Dragon: Preparing for ISS |url=http://www.spacex.com/news/2013/02/09/f9dragon-preparing-iss |publisher=SpaceX |date=August 15, 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2016 |archive-date=November 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115070932/http://www.spacex.com/news/2013/02/09/f9dragon-preparing-iss |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=reut20110405>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/space-business-rocket-idUSN0513302920110405 |title=US co. SpaceX to build heavy-lift, low-cost rocket |access-date=April 5, 2011 |date=April 5, 2011 |publisher=Reuters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408045714/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/05/space-business-rocket-idUSN0513302920110405 |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> It refurbished Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg AFB to accommodate Falcon 9 and Heavy. The first launch from the [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Canaveral]] [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] launch complex was planned for late 2013 or 2014.<ref name=PR-20110405>{{Cite press release |title=SpaceX announces launch date for the world's most powerful rocket |url=http://www.spacex.com/press/2012/12/19/spacex-announces-launch-date-worlds-most-powerful-rocket |publisher=SpaceX |date=April 5, 2011 |access-date=July 28, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728161642/http://www.spacex.com/press/2012/12/19/spacex-announces-launch-date-worlds-most-powerful-rocket |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Due partly to the failure of [[SpaceX CRS-7]] in June 2015, SpaceX rescheduled the maiden Falcon Heavy flight in September 2015 to occur no earlier than April 2016,<ref name=sn20150902>{{cite news |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=First Falcon Heavy Launch Scheduled for Spring |url=http://spacenews.com/first-falcon-heavy-launch-scheduled-for-spring/ |access-date=September 3, 2015 |publisher=Space News |date=September 2, 2015}}</ref> but by February 2016 had postponed it again to late 2016. The flight was to be launched from the refurbished [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A]].<ref name="Falcon Heavy 2015 Launch">{{cite web |title=Launch Schedule |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ |publisher=Spaceflight Now |access-date=January 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101234452/http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/spacex-seeks-to-accelerate-falcon-9-production-and-launch-rates-this-year/ |title=SpaceX seeks to accelerate Falcon 9 production and launch rates this year |publisher=SpaceNews |date=February 4, 2016 |access-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref>
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Side boosters equipped with a nose cone have different aerodynamic properties than the usual Falcon 9 boosters with a cylindric interstage. For this reason, SpaceX equipped them with larger and sturdier [[grid fin]]s made of titanium, to help guide the atmospheric descent accurately.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.space.com/39618-elon-musk-falcon-heavy-spacex-reaction.html |title='Crazy Things Can Come True': Elon Musk Reacts to Falcon Heavy Launch Success |work=[[Space.com]] |access-date=February 16, 2018 |date=February 7, 2018 |first=Sarah |last=Lewin}}</ref> The central core, however, still used conventional aluminum grid fins, as its aerodynamic properties are very similar to those of a conventional Falcon 9 first stage.
The Roadster was mounted on the second stage using a custom-made payload adapter, and was encapsulated in a conventional fairing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/06/launch-timeline-for-falcon-heavys-maiden-flight/ |title=Launch timeline for Falcon Heavy's maiden flight |website=Spaceflight Now |date=February 6, 2018 |first=Stephen |last=Clark |access-date=February 16, 2018}}</ref> Falcon Heavy also supports the launch of [[SpaceX Dragon|Dragon capsules]] without a fairing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/falcon-heavy |title=Falcon Heavy |date=November 15, 2012 |publisher=SpaceX |access-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406182002/http://www.spacex.com/falcon-heavy |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width: 100%;"
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| [[B1023]].2 ♺
| [[Falcon 9 Full Thrust|Full Thrust]]
| {{nobr|[[List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches (2010-2019)#
| {{dts|May 27, 2016}}
| {{time interval|2016-05-27|2018-02-06|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
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| B1025.2 ♺
| [[Falcon 9 Full Thrust|Full Thrust]]
| [[List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches (2010-2019)#
| {{dts|July 18, 2016}}
| {{time interval|2016-07-16|2018-02-06|abbr=on|sortable=on}}
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== Reactions ==
[[File:Falcon Heavy maiden launch viewing party.jpg|thumb|Viewing party watching the Falcon Heavy maiden launch stream]]
The test flight was a [[Viral video|viral]] event, attracting extensive news coverage and media attention worldwide,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harwood |first=William |date=2018-02-06 |title=Rocket launch today: SpaceX Falcon Heavy puts on spectacular show in maiden flight - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-spectacular-maiden-flight/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=SpaceX Launches The Falcon Heavy Rocket & Why It's Such A Big Deal For Elon Musk {{!}} TIME |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOHsWf2xSa4 |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Greshko |first=Michael |date=2018-02-10 |title=Exclusive: Watch Elon Musk Freak Out Over the Falcon Heavy Launch |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/elon-musk-reacts-spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-space-science |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-07 |title='De jongens van SpaceX zijn de cowboys van de ruimte' |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2215784-de-jongens-van-spacex-zijn-de-cowboys-van-de-ruimte |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=nos.nl |language=nl}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Surendra |last2=Laxman |first2=Srinivas |date=2018-02-08 |title=Like Space X, Isro too working on reusable rocket stages |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/like-space-x-isro-too-working-on-reusable-rocket-stages/articleshow/62825904.cms |access-date=2024-03-21 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> and becoming a subject of many [[Internet meme|Internet memes]] and [[Parody|parodies]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-01 |title=47 Of The Funniest Reactions To Elon Musk Sending Tesla Car To Mars |url=https://www.boredpanda.com/elon-musk-tesla-in-space-reactions/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601021741/https://www.boredpanda.com/elon-musk-tesla-in-space-reactions/ |archive-date=2020-06-01 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Padeanu |first=Adrian |date=14 February 2018 |title=Skoda Releases Video Proof Of Sending Superb To Mars |url=https://www.motor1.com/news/233075/skoda-superb-goes-to-mars/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Motor1.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>jschlatt. {{Citation |title=elon r u ok |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8uyilHatBA |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind {{!}} #YouTubeRewind |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbJOTdZBX1g |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en}}</ref> With over 2.3 million viewers seeing the launch live, the webcast of the Falcon Heavy test flight<ref>{{Citation |title=Falcon Heavy Test Flight |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en}}</ref> was at the time the second most watched livestream ever on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16981730/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-youtube-live-stream-record |title=SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch was YouTube's second biggest live stream ever |publisher=[[The Verge]] |first=Micah |last=Singleton |date=February 6, 2018}}</ref> Approximately 100,000 people watched the launch from Cape Canaveral.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.space.com/39779-falcon-heavy-facts.html |title=Facts About SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket |work=Space.com |access-date=April 29, 2018 |first=Elizabeth |last=Howell |date=February 21, 2018}}</ref>
This launch won both the [[SpaceNews]]'s Award and Readers' Choice's Award of Breakthrough of the Year in 2018,<ref>{{cite web |title=The SpaceNews Awards for Excellence and Innovation 2018 |url=https://spacenewsawards.com/2018-spacenews-awards/ |website=SNAwards |access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref> and inspired technology enthusiasts<ref>Donut Media (February 25, 2018). {{Citation |title=We Tried to Launch a Tesla to Space Too |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2szjw6ZpJ4w |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en}}</ref> and start-ups<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-06-12 |title=Russians send Soviet car model into stratosphere |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-48615344 |access-date=2024-03-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> to pay tribute to the Falcon Heavy and its payload.
[[U.S. President]] [[Donald Trump]] tweeted:<ref>{{cite tweet |author-link=Donald Trump |user=realDonaldTrump |number=961073467784421382 |date=February 7, 2018 |title=Congratulations @ElonMusk and @SpaceX on the successful #FalconHeavy launch. This achievement, along with @NASA’s commercial and international partners, continues to show American ingenuity at its best! |access-date=February 9, 2018 |first=Donald |last=Trump}}</ref> {{blockquote|Congratulations @ElonMusk and @SpaceX on the successful #FalconHeavy launch. This achievement, along with @NASA’s commercial and international partners, continues to show American ingenuity at its best!}}
Former [[NASA]] Deputy Administrator [[Lori Garver]] advocated the cancellation of the [[Space Launch System]] program as a
Later, Elon Musk released a video highlighting the flight, and thanking fans.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0FZIwabctw |title=Falcon Heavy & Starman |date=March 10, 2018 |publisher=SpaceX |via=YouTube |medium=video}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mashable.com/2018/03/10/elon-musk-westworld-falcon-heavy-video-sxsw/ |title=Elon Musk drops epic Falcon Heavy launch trailers made by 'Westworld' co-creator |first=Raymond |last=Wong |publisher=[[Mashable]] |date=March 11, 2018}}</ref>
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