SpaceX Falcon Heavy (updates & maiden flight)

[DocM]

New window: 1230 to 1800 EST.

[DocM]

Florida Today Livestream

 

https://livestream.com/accounts/20522137/spacexfalconheavytest

 

[Xenon]

Will they announce a time for the test or just do it? 

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[Astra.Xtreme]

There she goes!  Looked like a success.

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[Beittil]

Sound wru

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Another view

 

 

 

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@ChrisG_NSF

THAT WAS INCREBIBLE!!!!  The sound.  The power.  FRAKING FANTASTIC!!!! #FalconHeavy #StaticFire

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[Xenon]

Wow. That thing is gonna be a beast... If it doesn't go Kaboom on launch. 

[Xenon]

 

Another LOUD video.

[DocM]

Can you even **imagine** that BEAST half a klick up, at full throttle, spraying decibels all over the Cape  

Edited January 25, 2018 by DocM

[flyingskippy]

I'm looking forward to the 2 triple sonic booms! 

[Blue-Vision]

Gonna be something not heard since the Saturn/Apollo era. STS was a good effort on the noise meter but FH will top it by several notches.

[Blue-Vision]

And it also depends on how they're using the water suppression system, as well as the blast deflection. Everything I've seen (and this is just my personal observation) says that the water suppression is designed more to protect the T/E and the immediate vicinity of the vehicle from the heat of the engines than it is to dampen the noise ... so, my guts tell me that FH could well push the decibel meter higher than 39-A is really accustomed to (although not beyond design limits).

 

This launch will tell the tale and we likely could see the water suppression system redesigned to take acoustics into account after this one. We'll know pretty quickly if we see the T/E and/or 39-A in a state of damage.

[Skiver Veteran]

Is Musk serious, launch within a week or so? 

 

I would have thought it would take them a day or two to crunch the data just to be 100% everything went as planned.

 

I suspect between the checks and the launch next week we're not likely to see anything until Mid Feb.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

9 hours ago, Unobscured Vision said:

And it also depends on how they're using the water suppression system, as well as the blast deflection. Everything I've seen (and this is just my personal observation) says that the water suppression is designed more to protect the T/E and the immediate vicinity of the vehicle from the heat of the engines than it is to dampen the noise ... so, my guts tell me that FH could well push the decibel meter higher than 39-A is really accustomed to (although not beyond design limits).

 

This launch will tell the tale and we likely could see the water suppression system redesigned to take acoustics into account after this one. We'll know pretty quickly if we see the T/E and/or 39-A in a state of damage.

The Saturn 5's launched from 39A.

Also have to remember that the space shuttle generated more thrust at launch than will the FH (6.8lbf vs 5.1lbf)

 

Anyway, I think the pad will hold up fine.

[DocM]

1 hour ago, Jim K said:

The Saturn 5's launched from 39A.

Also have to remember that the space shuttle generated more thrust at launch than will the FH (6.8lbf vs 5.1lbf)

 

Anyway, I think the pad will hold up fine.

 

LC-39A and LC-39B were over-designed for the never-built Nova C8* launcher, and SpaceX reinforced it with BFR in mind, so there should be margin.

 

* 61,925 kN (13,920,000 lbf)

[DocM]

Falcon Heavy launch tickets are available

 

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar/2018/january/rocket-launch-spacex-falcon-heavy

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Falcon Heavy working dates & time per ChrisG at NASASpaceFlight.com

 

Launch: February 6
Backup: February 7
Window: 1330-1630 Eastern (both days)

[Jim K Global Moderator]

 

[DocM]

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/01/the-white-house-seems-interested-in-the-falcon-heavy-launch/

 

Quote

The White House seems interested in the Falcon Heavy launch

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Early next month, the first of these privately funded rockets, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, should finally make a test flight from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If successful, the Falcon Heavy, with a lifting capacity of 54 tons to low-Earth orbit, will become twice as powerful as any rocket in operation today.

So far, the Trump administration has played it both ways—acknowledging the importance of the newly emerging private space sector but also offering praise for NASA's large and costly Space Launch System. However, sources have indicated that Pence's office is closely watching the private companies and success here could have policy implications.
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US VP and Chair of the National Space Council Mike Pence's Chief of Staff talking about FH,