Elon Musk’s SpaceX repeatedly missed the promised January launch date of the Falcon Heavy, a massive rocket intended to orbit Mars. Now, the next-generation rocket will fire up its 27 engines by Feb. 6, tweeted Chris Gebhardt, assistant managing editor and writer for NASASpaceFlight.com.
SpaceX hasn’t made the date official, but CNET has reached out for comment.
Gebhardt followed up his initial tweet with a second saying that Feb. 6 is the earliest possible date for Falcon Heavy lift-off, subject to more slipping, especially if Musk’s company pushes back the launch date of its Falcon 9 rocket, which could be mistaken for an alien flying over Southern California.
And please remember, this is the NET (No Earlier Than) date. It is the plan right now, but it is subject to change as all launch dates are. Remember, too, there’s a Falcon 9 launch before this that needs to happen first. https://t.co/Ud7Z9IY8Oj
— Chris G – NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) January 26, 2018
The Falcon Heavy rocket will carry a payload of Musk’s own cherry red Tesla Roadster and play David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity.”
Read more: Falcon Heavy finally fires up for the first time
