Photo: Elon Musk via Instagram
On February 6, should supernatural or meteorological forces do not oppose it, the first-time-ever launch of a car into space will take place. With this premiere will come the inaugural flight of the Falcon Heavy, SpaceX's gamble for the stars and the U.S.' largest launch since the Saturn 5.
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave its thumbs-up for the launch, issuing a launch license for the Falcon. According to SpaceNews, the license describes the payload of the rocket as a “modified Tesla Roadster (mass simulator)”
According to data made public by the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, there is 80 percent chance that the weather would be acceptable for launch, so chances are we will be witnessing a historical event of epic proportions on Tuesday.
Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, posted on Monday on Instagram a photo showing a space suit (unclear if a living or breathing astronaut occupies the suit) behind the wheel of the Roadster that is about to become the world's first car into space.
When he announced the unlikely cargo, Musk said he had chosen the Roadster as payload because using concrete and such would be boring. Carrying the Roadster will be an easy task for what SpaceX calls “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.”
After reaching Mars, the car will be left in orbit, playing David Bowie's “Space Oddity” for as long as it can. Musk hopes the Tesla Roadster would be “on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit,”
As for the Falcon Heavy, it is is a reusable launch system capable of generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. SpaceX is working on technologies which will help them recover all parts of the rocket.
As the launch date approaches, we will likely get more and more updates from Elon Musk, so stay tuned for further info on a historic moment.
According to data made public by the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, there is 80 percent chance that the weather would be acceptable for launch, so chances are we will be witnessing a historical event of epic proportions on Tuesday.
Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, posted on Monday on Instagram a photo showing a space suit (unclear if a living or breathing astronaut occupies the suit) behind the wheel of the Roadster that is about to become the world's first car into space.
When he announced the unlikely cargo, Musk said he had chosen the Roadster as payload because using concrete and such would be boring. Carrying the Roadster will be an easy task for what SpaceX calls “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.”
After reaching Mars, the car will be left in orbit, playing David Bowie's “Space Oddity” for as long as it can. Musk hopes the Tesla Roadster would be “on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit,”
As for the Falcon Heavy, it is is a reusable launch system capable of generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. SpaceX is working on technologies which will help them recover all parts of the rocket.
As the launch date approaches, we will likely get more and more updates from Elon Musk, so stay tuned for further info on a historic moment.
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