Spacex chief says first launch will be risky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacex’s chief said Wednesday that the first launch of its big new rocket is risky and stands “a real good chance” of failure.

Founder Elon Musk told a space station research conference Wednesday that he wants to set realistic expectations for the flight later this year from Cape Canaveral. The Falcon Heavy will have three boosters instead of one, and 27 engines instead of nine, all of which must ignite simultaneously. No one will be aboard the initial flights. When it comes time to add people, Musk said, “no question, whoever’s on the first flight, brave.”

Spacex plans to fly two paying customers to the moon late next year, using a Falcon Heavy.

While the moon may not be in Musk’s personal travel plans, he said in response to a question that he’d like to ride one of his smaller Falcon rockets to the International Space Station in maybe three or four years. Spacex plans to start ferrying NASA astronauts to the orbiting outpost, using Falcon 9 rockets and enhanced Dragon capsules, by the middle of next year. Spacex now uses the Dragon capsule to deliver supplies to the space station.

“All right, we’ll put you on the manifest,” NASA’S space station program manager Kirk Shireman said.

Speaking for more than an hour at the Washington conference, Musk encouraged people to go to Cape Canaveral for the Falcon Heavy launch. “It’s guaranteed to be exciting,” he promised, getting a big laugh.