WATCH: SpaceX shows video of Falcon Heavy on launch pad

James Delahunty
3 Jan 2018 7:36

SpaceX is preparing to finally test its Falcon Heavy rocket later this month, and has released a video showing the powerful vehicle sitting on the pad.
Falcon Heavy is SpaceX' super heavy-lift launch vehicle based on its Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon Heavy features a strengthened Falcon 9 rocket core and two additional Falcon 9 boosters as strap-on stages. It will produce 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, or the equivalent of 18 Boeing 747s on full power.
Max payload to low-Earth orbit reaches 140,700 (63,800kg) maximum. The core and side stages are designed to be reused to bring costs down considerably per launch.
Here it is:

With more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff--equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft at full power--Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.

A post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Jan 2, 2018 at 6:03pm PST

The test flight will go ahead this month provided Falcon Heavy passes all pre-flight checks, including a static fire of its 27 Merlin 1D engines. If successful, it will blast off with Elon Musk's own Tesla Roadster electric vehicle, which will be put on course to orbit Mars. However, even Musk himself has warned that there is a very real possibility that the initial launch will fail.