Laurie61
Well-Known Forumite
On Tuesday afternoon, a rocket the size of a 20-story building, containing 27 engines and a cherry-red Tesla Roadster as its payload, is due to lift off from NASA’s Pad 39A, the same launchpad used by the Apollo moon missions and space shuttle flights. It will be the maiden flight of Space X’s Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket to launch in 45 years.
Falcon Heavy is built to be reusable. Its lower section comprises three Falcon 9 booster cores, holding nine Merlin engines each. Together, these cores generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX says it is capable of lifting more than 54 metric tons, or 119,000 pounds, into orbit, approximately equal to a 737 jetliner packed with fuel, people and luggage. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space.
The three engine cores will attempt a return and landing if launch is successful, another first for Space X.
Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch in a three hour window from Feb. 6 - 5:30 pm gmt.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957
Live video should be available here -
Falcon Heavy is built to be reusable. Its lower section comprises three Falcon 9 booster cores, holding nine Merlin engines each. Together, these cores generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX says it is capable of lifting more than 54 metric tons, or 119,000 pounds, into orbit, approximately equal to a 737 jetliner packed with fuel, people and luggage. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space.
The three engine cores will attempt a return and landing if launch is successful, another first for Space X.
Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch in a three hour window from Feb. 6 - 5:30 pm gmt.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957
Live video should be available here -