SpaceX Launching First Commercial Falcon Heavy & NASA Admin Talks Moon Mission 2024

SpaceX is targeting a launch of a Saudi-Arabian satellite into orbit on April 10th, after delays, this comes after a successful launch of the Falcon Heavy where Elon Musk launched his own Tesla Roadster into space. This launch will mark the company's first commercial contract mission for the Falcon Heavy, and the Falcon Heavy has received support from NASA Administrator for a next NASA Mission.

The Falcon Heavy is a partially-reusable rocket developed by SpaceX, it was designed to bring humans into space, beyond low-earth orbit. SpaceX has broken many records with many industry firsts and they plan to break more with the Falcon Heavy and the long-awaited Starship and Super Heavy (the BFR, which is designed to bring humans to Mars). The Falcon Heavy will have a launch window sometime between 7pm to 9pm and you will be able to witness the return flight of two of the boosters in Orlando, FL. (Launch window opens specifically at 6:36 PM Orlando EST)

Falcon Heavy will launch from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Saudi-Arabian Payload Arabsat- 6a

The Falcon Heavy will carry a Saudi Arabian satellite, the Arabsat-6a. This satellite is one of Lockheed Martin's most advanced communication satellites ever created. Arabsat-6a will be accompanied by other satellites with the Arabsat-6G program that will provide television, internet, telephone and secure communications for those customers within the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

This will be the second launch of the Falcon Heavy.

NASA Chief: Falcon Heavy To Moon 2024?

Jim Bridenstine, the NASA Administrator, held a town hall to talk about NASA's possible future missions to the moon where he suggested that NASA would use SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to bring humans to the moon by 2024. He stated there will also possibly be an unmanned mission in 2020. This will be possible if NASA gets more public support for these projects.


Last updated @ 3:55 PM, April 8, 2019