Watch live: SpaceX launch Falcon Heavy
SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon Heavy rocket on its maiden mission Tuesday afternoon. Made up of three side-by-side Falcon 9 first stages and an upper stage carrying a cherry red Tesla Roadster, the Falcon Heavy generates 4.7 million pounds of thrust at launch, more powerful than any other rocket in current use.
READ MORE: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch puts on spectacular show in maiden flight
The rocket lifted off at 3:45 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center's historic launch pad 39A. The launch, originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m., was delayed for several hours due to wind conditions.
The day before launch, SpaceX founder Elon Musk put the odds of a successful flight at somewhere between 50 percent and 70 percent.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's either going to be an exciting success or an exciting failure. One big boom! I'd say tune in, it's going to be worth your time," Musk told CBS News.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy payload
While this is just a test launch, the Falcon Heavy carried a payload of Elon Musk's midnight cherry Tesla Roadster, playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and carrying a dummy pilot dubbed "Starman."
"I love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future," Musk tweeted late last year.
Future versions of the Falcon Heavy could someday be used to launch missions to the moon or Mars.
-- CBS News
wow i'm watching it on bbc news
I do not even know this was happening. thanks this is awesome
Thanks for this valuable post sharing.... i appreciate this technology. and i always follow you dear......resteemit done
I was reading something about this earlier today.
Still I am of the opinion it is a lot more important to study what is below us than to study what is above us.
Technology is improving day by day and science keep on researching.
Thanks for sharing this. I didn't even know there was a launch today
It's a great time to be alive. This is amazing.