SpaceX's Falcon Heavy first launch planned for November

SpaceX is currently using the Falcon 9 rocket for the company's launches, but the bigger Falcon Heavy should take those launches over soon. Elon Musk first mentioned the Falcon Heavy rocket in a September 2005 news update. The rocket was scheduled to fly in 2014, then 2015, but there have been delays, and now, the company is aiming for the second half of this year.

SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk explained last year that developing the Falcon Heavy proved to be much more difficult than they previously thought, but it seems that the company is on track. Back in May SpaceX conducted the first Falcon Heavy static fire test which was a success.

Elon Musk has now announced that the company plans the first Falcon Heavy launch for November.

The company has big plans for this rocket, which should play a major role in the crewed (human) mission to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX plans to begin sending uncrewed (unmanned) spacecraft to Mars by 2020, meaning it is crucial that the Falcon Heavy starts flying soon if the company wants to stay on schedule.

Falcon Heavy will also increase the low Earth orbit (LEO) payload to 64 tons, compared to the current 22.8 tons for a Falcon 9 full thrust.