CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Space X Heavy Rocket poised and ready for takeoff could be America’s answer to once again launching American astronauts on American-made rockets.
Tuesday's launch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Houston time. The launch window closes at 3 p.m. Houston time.
Here's a by-the-numbers look at the rocket:
The Falcon Heavy is nearly:
- 40 feet wide
- 227 feet tall
While it can lift a lot of space stuff, it is heavy itself. It weighs:
- 3,125,735 pounds
It has 3 engine cores
27 first-stage engines
2 boosters expected to safely return and land near the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
3rd core is to land on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
All 3 are designed to be reusable.
27 engines will provide more than 5 million pounds of thrust. This will make it the world’s most powerful rocket in operation today.
0 astronauts will fly on this flight.
Instead of astronauts, Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk plans to launch his Red Roadster destined for the Red Planet.
3 cameras are attached to the car to provide “epic views.”