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SpaceX is just letting us look behind the curtain as it prepares for the second launch of its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket Tuesday (April 9).
The Californian company has posted on Twitter on Saturday (April 6th) a brief, accelerated video showing technicians mating the first three boosters of the Falcon Heavy in a hangar at Launch Complex 39A, a historic platform located at the Kennedy Space Center. (KSC) from NASA. in Florida.
This "reminder companion" was made before Friday's static test on the Falcon Heavy on Friday, April 5th. The test is a standard preflight check for SpaceX, designed to verify the proper operation of rocket engines.
Related: In pictures: The first launch test of the SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket test succeeds!
SpaceX also tweeted a photo showing the coupled rocket and its 27 first-floor Merlin engines, which together produce more than 5 million pounds. thrust.
The 27 Merlin engines from Falcon Heavy generate more than 5 million pounds of take-off thrust, making it the world's most powerful operational rocket at a factor of two. Pic.twitter.com/0LGaLgdi13April 7, 2019
Also visible in the photo, SpaceX pointed out in another tweet, is the first step of the Falcon 9 rocket that launched the company's capsule, Crew Dragon, during its first-ever space flight, an unprepared test-trip to the International Space Station.
This mission, known as Demo-1, began on March 2 and ended six days later when the capsule crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. If all goes as planned, Crew Dragon will soon send astronauts to the lab in orbit – perhaps this summer.
The first floor of the Falcon Heavy consists of three modified and attached Falcon 9 first stages. The "basic" central thruster is surmounted by the Heavy's second single-engine stage.
Falcon Heavy, the most powerful launcher that flies today, has a space mission under its belt: a successful test flight in February 2018 that propelled the red Tesla Roadster from the founder and CEO. Elon Musk (and his dummy pilot, Starman) around the sun.
Tuesday's mission is however operational. The rocket will launch in Earth orbit the 13,200 pounds. (6,000 kilograms) Arabsat-6A communication satellite for the Saudi Arabsat company.
Like the Falcon 9, the Heavy is designed to be reusable. During the February 2018 test flight, two of the three rocket propellers on the first floor returned to Earth for specific landings at Cape Canaveral Air Base, adjacent to KSC.
The central core has been trying to land on one of SpaceX 's robotized "droneships" in the Atlantic, but has turned out just too short.
Mike Wall's book on the search for extraterrestrial life, "Over there"(Grand Central Publishing, 2018, illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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