Antonov Airlines, a division of Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv), has taken part in preparations for the launch of a super-powerful Falcon Heavy rocket from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida (the United States), Ukraine’s Embassy in the United States has reported.
“Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines took a direct part in preparations for the launch by providing its An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft for the transportation of rocket components. The issue concerns part of the main fairing of the rocket with dimensions that can get only into a powerful cargo plane as the Ukrainian Ruslan,” the embassy reported on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
The report notes that a month ago a Ukrainian aircraft traveled a distance of 3,613 kilometers within four-and-a-half hours, ensuring timely delivery of parts of the Falcon Heavy rocket for its timely launch at Cape Canaveral.
A new super-powerful Falcon Heavy launch vehicle lifted off from Cape Canaveral on its first test flight on February 6. The launch of the rocket was broadcast by SpaceX.
The company was preparing for the launch of the rocket for seven years.
The rocket stands 70 m tall, its core has a diameter of 3.66 m, and when fully assembled with its side boosters is 12.2 m wide and weighs 1,420 tonnes.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s personal car – a cherry red Roadster – was fired into space on board the Falcon Heavy. Last month, Musk wrote on Twitter that he really liked the idea of sending a car to an endless journey through space, where millions of years later it could be discovered by representatives of an alien civilization.
