Musk to Test New Rocket in Late Summer Ahead of Tourist Mission
- SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy key to sending customers around the moon
- Rocket designed to carry heavy payloads, fly deeper into space
Falcon Heavy rendering
Source: SpaceXThis article is for subscribers only.
Elon Musk is planning a first test run late this summer with what his SpaceX bills as the most powerful rocket in the world, a step toward sending two paying tourists around the moon late next year.
Musk announced on Twitter the scheduled test flight for Falcon Heavy, which is designed to carry larger payloads than the Falcon 9s already in use. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has launched four of the smaller rockets this year, but it has yet to test the bigger rocket required for the closely-held company’s push into deep-space exploration.