CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The anticipated first launch of SpaceX’s heavy lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy, from the Space Coast now has a targeted December launch date.
Falcon Heavy's maiden voyage from Cape Canaveral is set for no earlier than Dec. 29, as first reported by NASAspaceflight.com.
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If Heavy launches, it will be a busy end of the year for the commercial space company. SpaceX added a last-minute Falcon 9 launch nicknamed “Zuma” for Nov. 15, which includes a Landing Zone 1 booster landing back at Cape Canaveral.
Northrop Grumman confirmed to News 6 partner Florida Today that the mysterious Zuma mission is a government mission.
Falcon Heavy’s first launch experienced delays after a Falcon 9 exploded on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 last year, limiting SpaceX to one launch pad.
Launch Complex 40 will host its first launch since the September 2016 explosion no earlier than December, NASA officials said last week. Falcon 9 will deliver a new round of supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station in a Dragon spacecraft.
The Falcon Heavy is designed to carry large payloads into orbit and the Dragon spacecraft. The rocket's first stage has three boosters and 27 engines compared to Falcon 9's nine engines.
The Space Coast can also expect more sonic booms with Falcon Heavy launches. The rocket's boosters will land, after launch, on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 back at Cape Canaveral and at sea on a drone ship for later reuse.
All three Falcon Heavy core stages are already at Kennedy Space Center, awaiting launch; two are previously flown, sources confirmed to News 6.
SpaceX has five payloads contracted for Falcon Heavy, according to the company’s launch manifest.
Falcon Heavy will launch from Kennedy Space Center's historic launch pad 39A.