SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket looks just like the beast it is
Elon Musk's SpaceX is closer than ever to launching a brand new rocket.
The private spaceflight company is finally just about ready to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket on its first test flight in January. And now Musk is finally giving the waiting public a glimpse of what that rocket looks like in all its glory.
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Musk shared the new photos showing off the heavy-lift rocket on Twitter Wednesday.
Falcon Heavy at the Cape pic.twitter.com/hizfDVsU7X
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2017
The Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's next big rocket, capable of bringing payloads and even people deep into the solar system.
The rocket looks effectively like three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, and it's been in development for quite a long time.
SpaceX's insistence that it would launch the rocket and subsequent delays over the years have been something of a joke in the spaceflight community for a while now.
Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2017
But it finally looks like space nerds will get the launch we've long been waiting for.
The Falcon Heavy is expected to launch in January carrying a Tesla Roadster as its payload (yep, really), and it's sure to be a special launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Musk has attempted to manage expectations by saying that there's a non-zero chance that the Falcon Heavy could explode during its maiden flight.
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