SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Launch Could Be as Soon as February 6

UPDATE: On Saturday, Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX is, indeed, aiming for a February 6 launch:

Falcon Heavy

Many have been on the edge of their seats for weeks in anticipation of a launch date for SpaceX's powerful, mostly reusable rocket, the Falcon Heavy. On Friday, Jan. 26, Chris Gebhardt of NASASpaceflight.com tweeted that the Falcon Heavy launch will occur on Feb. 6 from Cape Canaveral, with a potential backup date the following day (February 7). Gebhardt's prediction came after the rocket passed its much-anticipated static fire test.

Elon Musk quickly followed up the successful testing by tweeting that the rocket would be ready to launch within "a week or so," which Gebhardt also confirmed on Twitter.

As of yet, SpaceX has not officially confirmed the date. Gebhardt followed up his initial announcement by clarifying that February 6 is only a No-Earlier-Than date; meaning the date is the soonest SpaceX could realistically launch the rocket.

Launch Date

While the static fire test was the last major hurdle the Falcon Heavy had to jump over before it could be considered generally ready for takeoff, the time between now and the official launch will be filled with double checking the rocket's components and carefully ensuring that everything is exactly in order.

 

Many are excited to see if the Falcon Heavy will, in fact, launch a Tesla Roadster into space; Musk's proposed method of simulating the heavy loads it will later carry into orbit. However, there are still significant doubts about whether Musk was serious about sending his personal Roadster as a trial payload.

Whether or not the launch happens on exactly February 6 (or 7), and whether or not there's a Roadster aboard, one thing is undeniable: we're closer than ever to seeing the Falcon Heavy liftoff.