SpaceX Sets Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Date
After numerous tests and delays, SpaceX has finally announced a firm launch date for its new Falcon Heavy rocket. CEO Elon Musk announced on Saturday that the giant rocket will lift-off on Feb. 6 at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The announcement came three days after the successful test firing of the rocket's 27 first-stage engines on Wednesday. The rocket will depart from the historic Launch Pad 39A – same pad that was used for NASA's Apollo moon missions and space shuttle flights.
"Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on Feb. 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy," Musk wrote on Twitter. "Easy viewing from the public causeway."
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Musk did not specify the launch time for the first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket. However, the mission is expected to lift off during a three-hour launch window that opens at 1:30 p.m. EST (18:30 GMT). SpaceX also has a backup launch date which is available the following day.
For its maiden flight, the rocket will be carrying Musk's own midnight cherry Tesla Roadster. It will carry this payload 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers) into space, putting it in orbit around Mars where it will stay indefinitely.
The Falcon Heavy rocket is touted as the most powerful rocket since NASA's Saturn V moon rocket which sent the first men to the moon. The heavy-lift rocket towers 230 feet tall (70 meters) and is designed to launch payloads of up to 119,000 lbs – twice the load of its nearest rival, the Delta IV Heavy built by the United Launch Alliance.
The rocket consists of three Falcon 9 cores that are designed to return to Earth after launch and reused much like the company's solo Falcon 9 flights. SpaceX hopes that the rocket will serve as a low-cost and reliable to send supplies and people into space.
