SpaceX's First Falcon Heavy Rocket Test Launch Set for Feb. 6
By Tariq Malik, Space.com Managing Editor | January 28, 2018 04:25pm ET
SpaceX will attempt the first launch of its new giant rocket, the Falcon Heavy, on Feb. 6, the company's CEO Elon Musk said Saturday (Jan. 27).
The much-anticipated maiden flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket will lift off from the historic Launch Pad 39A — the same one used for NASA's Apollo moon missions and space shuttle flights — at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Musk's announcement came three days after SpaceX test-fired the Falcon Heavy's 27 first-stage engines for the first time at the launchpad on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
"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." [In Photos: SpaceX's 1st Falcon Heavy Rocket at the Pad]
While Musk did not specify a launch time for the Falcon Heavy's first flight, the mission may lift off during a three-hour launch window that opens at 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT), according to a SpaceNews report. A backup launch date is available the following day, SpaceNews added.
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Elon Musk’s unbelievable plan to use his own Tesla Roadster as the demonstration payload for the inaugural test launch of SpaceX’s new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, is reportedly set to happen on February 6.
Last month, Musk announced the plan on Twitter to some skepticism, but it was confirmed a few weeks later with pictures of the Roadster installed on a SpaceX payload attach fitting – pictured above.
While it’s of interest to us for being the first electric car launched into space, the event is particularly interesting to the space industry for a completely different reason.
The Falcon Heavy is expected to become the most powerful rocket in the world if the launch is successful.
https://electrek.co/2018/01/27/tesla-roadster-launch-space-spacex-falcon-heavy-feb-6/
The Tesla roadster inside the payload faring of the Falcon Heavy. Courtesy SpaceX
