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02-07-2018, 04:12 PM
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SpaceX counts down to first launch of Falcon Heavy rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL: SpaceX counted down Tuesday to the first ever launch of the world?s most powerful rocket in operation, the Falcon Heavy, which could someday carry supplies to the Moon or even Mars.
Loaded with CEO Elon Musk?s red Tesla roadster, a mannequin in a spacesuit, and a playlist consisting of David Bowie?s ?Space Oddity,? the monster rocket?s maiden voyage has captured the world?s imagination. Will it sail into deep space, sending an Earth-made car into a distant orbit around the Sun? Or will it explode on the launchpad? Musk himself has put the odds of success or failure at no better than 50-50. ?It is guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another,? the quirky 46-year-old South African-born space visionary and wealthy businessman told reporters ahead of Tuesday?s launch, expected at about 1:30 pm (1830 GMT). ?I would consider it a win if it just clears the pad and doesn?t blow the pad to smithereens,? he added.?I mean, that?s four million pounds of TNT equivalent.? If successful, it could catch the eye of the US space agency NASA as a way to fast-track its plans to reach the Moon again for the first time since 1972.And even if it fails, experts say the launch will be a win for the California-based company, which is fast becoming a leader in the global space industry.When the Falcon Heavy lifts off from the same NASA launchpad that was the base for the Apollo-era Moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s, it will be ?the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two,? SpaceX said. That means it can carry twice the payload of United launch Alliance?s Delta IV Heavy, at a far lower cost ? about $90 million per launch compared to $350 million for its competitor. أكثر... ??????? ??????: SpaceX counts down to first launch of Falcon Heavy rocket || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
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