New video shows SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket waiting for its big launch debut
SpaceX is about to have a very big moment.
The Elon Musk-founded company is all set to stage the first true test of its Falcon Heavy rocket, the huge new launcher expected to loft SpaceX's dreams of a future filled with rockets to new heights.
A new video from the private spaceflight outfit shows off the Falcon Heavy waiting in Cape Canaveral, Florida for its big debut moment.
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"With more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff—equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft at full power—Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two," SpaceX said via Twitter.
SpaceX is expected to test-fire the rocket at some point in the near future. That test will involve holding the Falcon Heavy down on the pad and then firing its boosters for a short time to make sure all checks out before its maiden launch sometime in the next couple weeks.
The company has yet to confirm dates for the test firing and subsequent launch, though we do know what the Falcon Heavy will be carrying when it does fly off into the great beyond.
A red Tesla Roadster will be nestled atop the rocket when it takes off from Cape Canaveral.
Musk has said that the plan is to launch the car, built by another Musk-founded company, to an elliptical orbit around Mars, which is ultimately where Musk hopes humans will visit and even live one day in the far future.
It's corporate synergy at its finest.
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.