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WATCH: SpaceX Conducts First Static Fire Test for Falcon Heavy

By Veronica Magan, Marc Selinger | January 25, 2018

      SpaceX is one step closer to launching its much-anticipated Falcon Heavy rocket. On Jan. 24, the company successfully performed a static fire test of the Falcon Heavy’s engines on launch site LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company tweeted a 22-second video showing a huge white cloud of exhaust gushing from the base of the launch vehicle during the test. As the cloud formed, a fireworks-like boom sounded.

      The Falcon Heavy is based on the Falcon 9 but triples the number of first-stage engines, providing more lift. It is designed to carry large payloads to orbit and could eventually take people to the Moon or Mars. The first flight has been delayed by several years. Musk said in July that developing the new rocket has proven more challenging than expected.