How to Watch Today’s Historic SpaceX Launch & Epic Triple Landing Attempt

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is gearing up to launch the most powerful rocket into space on Thursday . SpaceX will also attempt an epic triple landing which has never been done before. You can watch it right here on CCN.com.

The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was originally slated for Wednesday, but it was delayed due to high winds. The launch will now take place on Thursday at 6.35pm EDT. The SpaceX live stream is available below and will begin at roughly 6.15pm, 20 minutes before takeoff.

• Launch window: Thursday, April 11th, 6.35pm – 8.31pm EDT
• Payload: Arabsat-6A satellite, deployed 34 minutes after takeoff.
• Takeoff: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Launch Complex 39A

SpaceX Falcon Heavy: The Most Powerful Rocket on the Planet

The Falcon Heavy’s first launch took place in February 2018 when Elon Musk sent it into space with a Tesla Roadster on board . This year, the world’s most powerful rocket will have a commercial payload: the Saudia Arabian Arabsat-6A satellite. 

The Falcon Heavy is more than twice as powerful as the next most impressive spacecraft the Delta IV Heavy owned by United Launch Alliance.

Historic Triple Landing?

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will also attempt a historic “triple landing.” In other words, land all three core parts of the spacecraft safely back on Earth.

SpaceX attempted the triple landing on last year’s launch, but only the two side boosters landed safely. The middle core missed its target.

If all goes to plan, the two outer boosters will make an epic double landing, returning to Cape Canaveral side by side about eight minutes after launching. The middle core is expected to return later, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic ocean. 

Elon Musk Beats Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Into Space

As the Falcon Heavy prepares to take off, Elon Musk took to Twitter to call Amazon’s Jeff Bezos a copy cat. Responding to news that Amazon plans to launch a constellation of satellites to expand broadband coverage, Musk tweeted:

Musk also boasted about beating Bezos’ Blue Origin space project in the race to launch reusable rockets. SpaceX successfully pioneered a reusable rocket three years before Jeff Bezos.

SpaceX Teams Up With NASA

After today’s launch, SpaceX will begin preparations for a mission with NASA . A SpaceX Dragon craft will deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is expected to go ahead on April 26th.

Elon Musk also has partners lined up with the US military and telecoms company Viasat.

About the Author

Ben Brown

Ben is a journalist with a decade of experience covering financial markets. Based in London, UK, his writing has appeared in The Huffington Post and he was Chief Editor at Block Explorer, the world's longest-running source of Blockchain data. Reach him at Twitter at _Ben_Brown. Email ben @ benjamin-brown.uk.

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