Monday, February 5, 2018

Maiden SpaceX Falcon Heavy Plus Tesla Set for Thunderous Blastoff Feb 6 as World’s Most Powerful Rocket: Watch Live


First fully integrated SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is raised to vertical launch position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida – as seen up close on Feb. 5, 2017.  Nose cone housing Tesla Roadster payload is stenciled with Falcon Heavy logo. Debut liftoff slated for Feb. 6, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com


Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   5 Feb 2018


KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – After years of development and delays for this ‘beast” of a vehicle, the maiden blastoff of the triple core SpaceX Falcon Heavy carrying CEO Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla sports car - and that’s soon to become the ‘World’s Most Powerful Rocket’ - is at last at hand at lunchtime Tuesday, Feb. 6, from NASA’s historic launch complex 39A on the Kennedy Space Center in Florida – and the weather outlook tomorrow is quite promising at this time too !




“All systems remain green for launch at 1:30 p.m. EST tomorrow,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said today, Feb. 5.  



The payload on this first demonstration test flight is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ‘modified’ cherry red Tesla Roaster sports car that will be hurled outward on a whimsical trip to Mars orbit on a heliocentric orbit.  It will be playing David Bowie’s hit song ‘Space Oddity.’






The mammoth rocket powered by 27 Merlin 1D first stage engines was rolled out from the huge processing hanger at the launch complex and up the ramp to pad 39A this morning, Feb. 5, on the 212 foot long transporter erector by SpaceX workers who then raised it erect to launch position. 



Tens of thousands of folks and space fans from all across the globe have descended on the Florida Space Coast to experience first hand the sure to be spectacularly bright and thunderously loud blastoff of Falcon Heavy as it soars to space for the first time. 

And to top all that off, SpaceX also plans to recover all three first stage boosters – 1 by sea and 2 by land – a truly science fictionesque thought – only its truly real science.


So that’s 1 up and 3 down – if all goes well. 

Maiden SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is erected to vertical launch position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida – as seen up close on Feb. 5, 2017.  Nose cone housing Tesla Roadster payload is stenciled with Falcon Heavy logo. Debut liftoff slated for Feb. 6, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com


At T Minus 1 Day all systems are currently ‘GO’ for liftoff of the triple stick rocket from historic pad 39A - that sent Apollo astronauts to the Moon - from the Kennedy Space Center in the early afternoon during a launch window that opens at 1:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 6.

 The two and a half hour long launch window extends from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 pm EST (1830-2100 GMT).  The backup launch day is Feb. 7.

You can watch the launch live on a SpaceX dedicated webcast starting about 20 minutes prior to the 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) liftoff time.

Watch the SpaceX broadcast live starting around 1:10 p.m. EST at:  SpaceX.com/webcast 

First fully integrated SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is raised to vertical launch position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida – as seen up close on Jan. 9, 2017.  Nose cone housing Tesla Roadster payload is stenciled with Falcon Heavy logo. Debut liftoff slated for Feb. 6, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com


The enormous 22 story tall Falcon Heavy vehicle will generate by far the loudest, most impressive and tremendous sounds thundering out from Florida’s Spaceport since the shuttle shutdown in 2011.


First SpaceX Falcon Heavy on pad 39A at KSC awaiting Feb 6 2018 blastoff. SpaceX Credit: Julian Leek



The last regulatory hurdle was cleared on Friday, Feb. 2, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX a launch license for the debut launch of the mammoth Falcon Heavy rocket targeted for Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 6 - clearing one of the last hurdles to history.





The launch has captured the imagination of space enthusiasts and the general public alike.





Expectations of crowd size have been estimated at ranging up to 100,000 people or more!





The launch is certain to be the largest in terms of crowd size gathered since NASA’s final shuttle launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis in July 2011.





The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket to launch since NASA’s Space Shuttles were retired in 2011.





Sporting 5.1 million pounds of liftoff, it is twice as powerful as the ULA Delta IV Heavy- currently the worlds most powerful rocket.






To put that in perspective, the thrust of the 27 Merlin 1D engines on Falcon Heavy is equivalent to 18 Boeing 747s 



Cherry red Tesla sports car owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is the payload on the inaugural test flight of his Falcon Heavy Rocket.  The Tesla will be propelled to Mars on the rocket’s debut flight from KSC pad 39A in Feb 2018.     Credit: SpaceX



Musk also announced today that a new Falcon Heavy launch simulation will be released shortly - before liftoff.





“Falcon Heavy launch simulation almost ready. Will be set to Bowie’s Life on Mars,” Musk tweeted.




The latest weather forecast at L- Minus 1 day outlines very favorable conditions along the Florida Space Coast with an 80% chance of favorable conditions at launch time according to U.S. Air Force meteorologists with the 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base.


The primary concerns on Feb. 6 are for Liftoff Winds and the Thick Cloud Layer Rule.










“On Tuesday [Feb. 6], winds will become easterly at 15 mph, bringing a few low-level clouds in off the water. The main weather concerns are liftoff winds and thick clouds. Maximum upper-level winds will be from the west at 90 knots near 40,000 feet,said the 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron in the Feb. 5 weather update.





In case of a 24 hour delay the weather outlook remains promising with only a slip dip to 70% chance of favorable launch condition

The primary concern on Wednesday, Feb. 7 is again for Liftoff Winds and the Thick Cloud Layer Rule.
Up close view of SpaceX Falcon Heavy center booster nose cone loaded with Elon Musk’s Tesla, side booster nose cones and grid fins. Debut liftoff slated for Feb. 6, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com



The triple stick Falcon Heavy is comprised of a trio of Falcon 9 boosters - including a significantly modified central core, to deal with aerodynamic stresses, that is attached to a pair of side-mounted cores with newly developed nose cones mounted in place of payload fairings. 



The two side cores are ‘flight-proven’ boosters that already launched once and are being recycled for the Heavy.



The gigantic two stage Falcon Heavy stands more than 229 feet (70 meters) tall and measures 39.9 feet wide (12.2 meters).  It also features a dozen grid fins and a dozen landing legs attached to the first stage boosters in an attempt to soft land all three cores – by land and by sea.





Read our detailed prelaunch and launch stories. 



Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 , ULA and NASA and space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com



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Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Learn more about the upcoming SpaceX Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 SES-16/GovSat-1 launches on Jan. 30 & Feb. 6, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL:

Feb 5/6: “SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, GOES-S weather satellite launch, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale





SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discusses Falcon Heavy and rocketry during media briefing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com









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