SpaceX poised to launch rocket with car on board
MIAMI — SpaceX is poised for the first test launch on Tuesday of its Falcon Heavy, which aims to become the world’s most powerful rocket in operation, capable of reaching the moon or Mars some day.
The launch, scheduled for 1:30 pm from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is the most ambitious yet for SpaceX, and has been hailed by industry experts as a game-changer because of its potential to propel the California-based company to the very forefront of the modern day space race.
“NASA may decide to use it (the Falcon Heavy) as a way of fast-tracking its plans to get to the moon and Mars,” said Erik Seedhouse, assistant professor of applied aviation sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Tuesday’s launch is a “huge deal, even for a spaceflight company that routinely accomplishes huge deals”, said Jason Davis of the Planetary Society, describing the Falcon Heavy as “mythical”.
No people are on board, just a mannequin wearing a futuristic spacesuit, strapped into CEO Elon Musk’s very own cherry red Tesla car.
“Starman in a Red Roadster,” Musk posted on Instagram on Monday, showing the rocket’s payload on a pedestal, aiming skyward.
Musk has also said David Bowie’s hit Space Oddity would play in the vehicle during the launch.
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An animated video released by SpaceX to preview the launch showed all three rocket boosters returning to upright landings on Earth, while the car and mannequin emerged from the protective nose cone and sailed into orbit.
The car is destined for an elliptical orbit around the Sun, taking it into the vicinity of Mars.
“At times, it will come extremely close to Mars, and there is a tiny, tiny chance that it will hit Mars,” Musk told reporters. “Extremely tiny.”
The Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets in one, with a total of 27 Merlin engines.
These engines “together generate more than five million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft”, said SpaceX.
The 70-meter tall rocket is designed to carry nearly 64 metric tons into orbit, more than the mass of a fully loaded 737 jetliner.
Musk said he was feeling “giddy” about Tuesday’s launch, and was not feeling the dread and anxiety he usually experiences ahead of time.
“It is guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another. Either it is going to be an exciting success or an exciting failure,” he said.
The hope is that any failure comes far enough into the flight “so we at least learn as much as possible along the way”, he added.
A live webcast of the launch is scheduled to begin around 1 pm on SpaceX.com.
It is guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another. Either it is going to be an exciting success or an exciting failure.” Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla