SpaceX will be attempting to pull off the world’s first triple-rocket landing today as part of the company’s first commercial use of its Falcon Heavy rocket today.
The Falcon Heavy – the most powerful rocket currently in use – is set to launch the Arabsat-6A communications satellite into geostationary orbit some 22,500 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT).
“Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will attempt to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida,” SpaceX wrote in a mission description. “Falcon Heavy’s center core will attempt to land on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ drone-ship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.”
You can watch the launch of the Arabsat 6A on SpaceX’s YouTube channel, right here:
Even though this mission is the second flight of a Falcon Heavy, it is the first to use SpaceX’s upgraded Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket boosters, which give it a 10 percent boost in maximum thrust over its predecessor, Musk has said, reports Space.com.
Beresheet moon lander is poised to make history
Since being launched on February 22 on an epic 6.5 million kilometer (4,038,913 miles) journey, Israel’s Beresheet moon lander is poised to make history on Thursday when it reaches the lunar surface.
Since leaving Earth’s orbit last week, Beresheet has reached lunar orbit, which by itself is a feat because only seven countries have been able to successfully place a spacecraft in the Moon’s orbit. However, 9 million Israeli’s and the rest of the world will be holding their breath tomorrow when the lunar-landing attempt is made.
The landing is scheduled to occur between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. EDT (1900 and 2000 GMT) on Thursday (April 11). If the landing is successful, Israel will join only three other countries in the world to make a landing on the moon. They include Russia, the United States, and China.
