Institution of Mechanical Engineers responds to the launch of Elon Musk's reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle

Dr Colin Brown, Director at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said about the launch of Elon Musk’s reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle Falcon Heavy:

“The maiden voyage of the enormous 70m rocket funded by Elon Musk is an exciting and ambitious project which pushes engineering to its utmost limits.

“The Falcon Heavy is a real behemoth; at lift-off it will create a combined thrust equivalent to approximately 18 Boeing 747 airplanes taking off. The engineering behind it is really awe-inspiring.

“With the launch of such a complex machine, there are always risks, but the rocket completed a static fire test earlier in January, when the Falcon Heavy successfully ignited its engines while still strapped to the launch pad, I remain hopeful that this remarkable project will be successful.”