Elon Musk recently announced that SpaceX is finally launching Falcon Heavy, over four years after it was first announced.
The SpaceX founder revealed the news via Twitter, saying Falcon Heavy is aiming for a first flight on Feb. 6 at Cape Kennedy's launchpad 39A, the same one that launched historic Apollo and Space Shuttle missions.
Falcon Heavy was originally intended to launch back in 2013 to 2014, but it was continually pushed back due to several tests, the latest of which happened just a few days ago. The successful static fire test brought Musk to announce at that time that Falcon Heavy will launch in "a week or so."
While SpaceX is known for testing its rockets before they are launched, the test made last week was unique as it was the first time so many engines, 27 in all, were fired up at once.
The test, called static fire, assessed the performance of the rockets' many engines. To do that, Falcon Heavy was restrained on the launchpad while its engines were ignited to simulate the initial stage of the rocket launch, at the same time making sure that the rocket does not actually take off.
Falcon Heavy will launch between 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, with a backup window in Feb. 7 for assurance. Musk said there will be "easy viewing from the public causeway.
First announced in 2011, Falcon Heavy has since been the biggest goal for SpaceX, which has postponed the rocket launch several times due to numerous issues. Falcon Heavy is named as such as it is composed of three reusable Falcon 9 rocket cores linked together, enabling it to carry some 140,000 pounds of cargo into lower Earth.
This is triple of what a single Falcon 9 rocket can carry, making Falcon Heavy one of the most powerful aircraft ever made.
