Terreno Heavy is FCT Space's second economic and 100% reusable launch system, currently being developed in our facilities in Italy.
The main difference between Terreno Heavy and his little brother Terreno One is the number of cores equipped in the first stage.
In fact, the rocket's first stage is composed of three Terreno One's single cores, with only one of them attached to the second stage.
Terreno Heavy is powered by 36 engines (3 cores with 12 engines each) at its first stage, while 3 vacuum-optimized engines carry the second stage in the final orbit.
3 more sea-level engines are equipped in the second stage, allowing it to return to Earth and land, as the first stage.
Both the stages run on ethanol and liquid oxygen, making missions as cheap as possible.
Each core of the rocket's first stage has 4 grid fins, for a total of 12, to control their descent prior to landing.
The second stage, however, will travel at much higher speed, so it won't be capable of returning to Earth in the same way as first stage does. Therefore its body includes four autonomous flaps, two at the bottom and two at the top, for controlling the re-entry and using atmospheric drag to slow it as much as possible.
Before touching down, the second stage lights its 3 sea-level engines and flips vertically, prior to engaging its landing legs and landing safely.