Testing rockets is always a risky proposition, and this one has unmatched thrust and power, so how it works in actual use is something that SpaceX can only find out by actually launching one, no matter what ground test and simulations say. Also, the first Falcon Heavy flight has a chance of ending with a spectacular explosion, as Musk himself has cautioned in the past that there’s some chance things could go up in flames shortly after launch. SpaceX is currently aiming to do its first Falcon Heavy launch in January – and it’s apparently going to carry Musk’s own Tesla Roadster as its payload – something that seemed like a joke until it wasn’t. Bringing that kind of tonnage into low Earth orbit will mean that SpaceX can do things like combine more missions, as well as service a new category of customer with heavier cargo requirements. Advertised pricing for a SpaceX Falcon 9 EELV medium-class commercial launch is currently 54 million (in fiscal year 2010 dollars). Each of these three essentially represents a current Falcon 9, and the two that flank the central column are re-used Falcon 9s that SpaceX has flown for previous missions.įalcon Heavy is SpaceX’s high-capacity rocket – it’ll be able to fly around 140,000 pounds of payload per launch once it’s ready to go. You can however see the three boosters, each of which contains nine Merlin engines. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared images of the Falcon Heavy set up in a Cape Canaveral facility, nearly complete minus some remaining elements like the fairing and payload that will top the rocket.
#Chance of falcon 9 launch today full#
There's a good chance that SpaceX could squeak in another Starlink Falcon 9 mission next week before the end of the month, but a formal request for a launch date has not yet been solidified.SpaceX won’t hit its 2017 target for a test flight of its new, huge Falcon Heavy rocket – but the massive launch craft is now in place at Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it will undergo testing including a full static test fire, as well as final assembly, before attempting its inaugural launch early next year. "Unfortunately, the boundary will be very close or over the Spaceport during the launch window early Thursday morning," a report released by the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron on Tuesday explained.Ĭonditions look more promising at 90% "go" for a backup attempt on Friday around the same time, should SpaceX need it. EDT Friday, June 23, for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with 56 Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The primary concerns for liftoff on Thursday are thick clouds and lingering conditions from a passing cold front that could enable potential rocket-triggered lightning - a phenomenon that could occur by launching a rocket into an electrically charged atmosphere. Follow live updates as SpaceX targets 9:56 a.m. There will be no local sonic booms with this one. If SpaceX can launch from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, the Falcon 9 will carry 54 of the company's internet-beaming Starlink satellites to join the more than 3,500 already in orbit.Īfter liftoff, the rocket's first stage will touch down on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Space Force forecasters called for a 70% chance of "go" conditions ahead of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch during a roughly two-and-a-half-hour launch window from 4:02 - 6:24 a.m. (FLORIDA TODAY) - The fifth launch of the year from Florida's Space Coast is set to liftoff early Thursday morning, though the weather could foil those plans.
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