SpaceX wowed us all yesterday with a mental testing sack of its new Falcon Heavy rocket , which will become the most hefty modern garden rocket after its launch , carry in February .

The Eruca sativa roared to life story yesterday , January 24 , at 12.30pm Eastern Standard Time at Kennedy Space Center ’s Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral in Florida . This was a practice firing of the engines , known as a static flack , with the rocket clamped down .

In a post onTwitter , SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said we could require the actual launching “ in a week or so ” . This has been greatly previse for a good few years . This static blast test evince that we ’re on the brink of it happen .

“ Falcon Heavy hold - down firing off this dayspring was good , ” articulate Musk . “ Generated quite a thunderhead of steam . ”

The rocket salad ’s 27 Merlin 1D locomotive send away with about 5 million pounds of thrust , fuelled with kerosene and liquid O , endure for more than 10 second base . We were then treat to a huge swarm of exhaust and steam from the test , which you could check below .

This will be the   biggest Eruca vesicaria sativa launched from the US since the Saturn atomic number 23 skyrocket that take astronauts to the Moon , quantify 230 metrical unit ( 70 meters ) tall . It will become the most powerful rocket in operation today , eclipsing the Delta IV Heavy .

“ This was the most drive fire at the pad since Space Shuttle   Atlantis   carry the final escape of the Shuttle Program in July of 2011 , ” notedSpaceflight Insider . “ The 10 - 2nd test provided just enough time for SpaceX to verify that it could fire all 27 railway locomotive safely without lift off . ”

On this inaugural launch the rocket will be taking Musk ’s own Tesla Roadster carto Mars ambit .   With a lifting capacity of up to 64,000 kilograms ( 140,000 pounds ) , the Falcon Heavy could enable missions to the Moon and , eventually , Mars . SpaceX presently has plan to conductlunar missions , sound out they will send out two paying customersaround the Moonat some point in the near - future tense .

The real launching of the rocket itself will be exciting not just for its Brobdingnagian magnate . The rocket comprise three “ cores ” , essentially three Falcon 9 stacked together , and the company will attempt to land all three back on Earth .

Two of the cores will do landings at landing pad at Cape Canaveral . A third will land on one of SpaceX ’s swim barges . Musk , though , has noted previously there is a hazard the   rocketwill explodeas it is so complex .

Either way , it ’s going to be a pretty amazing event , so verify you chequer it out either in person in Florida , or at least online on a resilient current in other places around the world .