TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opened ticket sales Thursday for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy test flight. A liftoff date for the rocket's first launch has not yet been announced.
The commercial company successfully completed an important engine test, firing up all of Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin engines on the launch pad Wednesday.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet after the static fire test that the heavy lift rocket's maiden voyage could happen in "a week or so," although launches usually happen about two weeks after a static fire text.
KSC Visitor Complex launch viewing tickets start at $35 for a seat at the Astronaut Training Center in Titusville and run up to $195 for a spot at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the closest the public can get to KSC Launchpad 39A.
A complex spokeswoman told News 6 that the closer "Feel the Heat" tickets are going fast and that anyone who is interest should act quickly.
For those not looking to spend a lot, the Space Coast has plenty of popular viewing spots across Titusville, Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island, but large crowds are expected, meaning people will need to get to those spots early. [See a map of Space Coast launch viewing locations]
When it blasts off, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in use today, with 5 million pounds of thrust. The rocket looks like the Falcon 9, but with two first-stage boosters strapped to its sides.
Wednesday's test fire rumbled across Brevard County's barrier islands provided a hint of what spectators can look forward to come launch day.
SpaceX plans to recycle the three boosters, landing them back at Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1 and on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, which means triple sonic booms.
There is no official payload because this is a test flight for SpaceX, but Musk announced late last year that a cherry red Tesla will be encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone and launched toward Mars orbit.
"I love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future," Musk tweeted.