CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX fired up its newest, biggest rocket in a critical launch pad test Wednesday, advancing toward a long-anticipated test flight possibly in just a week. The Falcon Heavy briefly roared to life for the first time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Everything appeared normal: The 230-foot (70-meter) rocket stood tall and brilliantly white after the test on the historic pad once used by NASA’s Apollo moon rockets and space shuttles. NASA’s Saturn V moon rocket, used during the late 1960s and early 1970s, still is the all-time champ when it comes to size and power. All three boosters will attempt to fly back and land, routine nowadays for SpaceX, which is recycling its rockets to lower future launch costs.

Source: National Post January 24, 2018 17:37 UTC