Ukrainian Embassy in U.S. recalls Antonov’s assistance to SpaceX ahead of Falcon Heavy launch

The Ukrainian Embassy in the United States has recalled how Ukraine's state-owned aircraft enterprise Antonov played its role in the preparation of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch by providing its An-124-100 Ruslan for transporting outsized rocket hardware.

An-124-100 Ruslan was used to transport oversized cargo, rocket payload fairing halves only Ruslan could accommodate, according to the diplomats.

As reported, the Ukrainian aircraft a month ago covered a 3,613 km distance within 4.5 hours, ensuring the timely delivery of the oversized rocket hardware for Falcon Heavy's launch at Cape Canaveral.

Read alsoUkraine’s Antonov applies for U.S. permit to haul SpaceX's oversized cargoAs UNIAN reported earlier, Falcon Heavy megarocket blasted off from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida on February 6. It was a test launch of the first vehicle capable of delivering human missions to Mars.

The owner of SpaceX Elon Musk has tweeted that a Tesla Roadster electric car, being carried by Falcon Heavy, is already moving through space toward the Asteroid Belt.