I don't think anyone who watched the SpaceX Falcon Heavy test flight yesterday will ever forget it. Seeing the most powerful operational rocket in the world take to the skies was impressive enough, but the dual, synchronised landing of the two side boosters back at Cape Canaveral looked like pure science fiction brought to life.



SpaceX Falcon Heavy Information.



And of course, there was the payload. Launching Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster into a heliocentric orbit crossing the path of Mars, complete with a spacesuited mannequin named 'Starman' listening to David Bowie, was a stroke of absolute marketing genius. Beyond the spectacle, though, this launch drastically lowers the cost of sending heavy payloads into deep space, opening up incredible new possibilities for solar system exploration.