SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes to make history tomorrow with the most powerful rocket to leave Earth since NASA’s Atlas 5.
The Falcon 9-based spacecraft will blast from Florida with its unusual cargo, a Tesla Roadster, during a launch window sometime around 1.30pm EST (6.30pm GMT).
Following a successful static engine test on January 27, Mr Musk tweeted: “Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on February 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy.
“Easy viewing from the public causeway.”
Those who want to experience the thrill of the maiden rocket launch up-close are in good luck, because the Falcon heavy mission will be streamed live on YouTube which you can watch above.
With several high-definition cameras on the launch pad and the Falcon Heavy itself, the online stream will cast audiences straight into the action.
The Falcon Heavy launch will also feature commentary from SpaceX’s raft of rocket engineers and mission control crew.
SpaceX live streams typically kick off about 15 minutes prior to the launch and can be found here. Express.co.uk shared an embeddable video stream of the launch above.
Just two months ago, Mr Musk teased his unprecedented plan to deliver a cherry-red Tesla Roadster into space.
The South African entrepreneur shared his grandiose plan online when he said: “Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks. That seemed extremely boring.
“Of course, anything boring is terrible, especially companies, so we decided to send something unusual, something that made us feel.
“The payload will be an original Tesla Roadster, playing Space Oddity, on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit.”
But aside from spicing up what would have been an otherwise routine rocket launch, the aim of the mission is to test the Falcon Heavy’s space faring capabilities for future manned missions to Mars.
With a total of 27 engines, the Falcon heavy is touted as the most powerful spacecraft currently in existence.
Based on the previous generation of Falcon 9 rockets, the Heavy is in fact composed of three Falcon 9 boosters.
At 70m tall and 12.2m wide, the powerful rocket can carry 60 tonnes worth of cargo into Low Earth Orbit and nearly 17 tonnes to the Red Planet.
The Heavy launch was initially pencilled in for blast off in January, but several delays pushed the date back by a month.
Once the rocket’s boosters successfully leave Earth, SpaceX will attempt to bring them back down to Cape Canaveral and the company’s Atlantic Ocean droneship.