It wasn't the rocket's debut but 'there's been a lot of anticipation' for the massive Falcon Heavy rocket's first commercial launch.
Even though it wasn't the rocket's debut,"there's been a lot of anticipation" for the massive Falcon Heavy rocket's first commercial launch, said Ann Kim, a managing director at Silicon Valley Bank.
"To actually classify a launch as commercial, not as a test, is huge," Ann Kim, managing director of the bank's frontier technology group, told CNBC. Silicon Valley Bank is a New York City-based technology-focused bank, with $57 billion in assets as of the end of 2018.Falcon Heavy ranks as the most powerful rocket in the world, with 27 engines creating 5.1 million pounds of thrust – the equivalent of about 18 Boeing 747 aircraft combined.
So until Falcon Heavy's launch on Thursday, Musk's company had yet to deliver on the money it had been paid for the rocket. That, more than anything, set the second flight of Falcon Heavy apart, Kim believes.Beyond contracts for national security launches and large satellites, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is also under consideration for lucrative exploration missions.
Indeed, SpaceX's successes have meant investors continue to flood in, as the company's valuation is reportedly now at least $30.5 billion. Shares of SpaceX also remain in heavy demand on private markets.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Watch SpaceX launch and land the second Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocketSpaceX is set to launch the company's Falcon Heavy rocket on its inaugural commercial mission on Wednesday evening.
Read more »
SpaceX notches two Falcon Heavy firsts with commercial launch and booster recoveryAfter the Falcon Heavy rocket's first commercial launch, carrying an Arabsat-6A communications satellite, SpaceX successfully landed all three boosters for the first time for the rocket.
Read more »
Watch SpaceX launch Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, for $150 millionSpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy for the second time. It's the first commercial launch of many to come, according to its $500-$750 million manifest.
Read more »
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launches its first satellite into a rapidly changing marketSpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket will launch Wednesday with a commercial payload on board for the first time. The rocket's first-ever mission last year launched a Tesla car into space.
Read more »
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch with its first real payloadSpaceX is set to blast off its Falcon Heavy rocket on Thursday with a high-capacity telecommunications satellite payload, following the famous demo flight...
Read more »
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches first paid mission and lands all three boostersSpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful vehicle flying today, launched its first-ever mission for a paying customer. Also for the first time, all three Falcon Heavy rocket boosters returned to Earth after launch.
Read more »
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy conducts first commercial flightThe most powerful operational rocket in the world, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, launch...
Read more »