Update
: Unfortunately, high winds have forced yet another delay of the Falcon Heavy launch.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: SpaceX is going to launch the Falcon Heavy rocket for the second time. I know, I know, that was supposed to happen this past weekend, and then again on Tuesday, but delays pushed it back repeatedly. Now it’s scheduled for today, and the weather looks like it’s going to cooperate.
Today’s launch, which is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EST, will see SpaceX use the Falcon Heavy in a commercial capacity for the very first time, sending a communications satellite from Arabsat into orbit around Earth. When it does so, you can watch the entire event live right here.
As is often the case with SpaceX launches, the company will be live streaming the entire affair via its YouTube channel. The video window below will go live shortly before the expected launch time, and SpaceX staff will be providing commentary and details about the mission and the status of the rocket as things unfold.
The Falcon Heavy first launched way back in early 2018, and the hype surrounding its debut was unreal. Even with SpaceX boss Elon Musk doing his best to keep expectations low, it was a monumental event and luckily the entire thing went off without a hitch.
Both of the side rocket boosters on the Falcon Heavy made successful landings back on Earth, but the central core booster missed its mark in the ocean and splashed down rather than landing where it was supposed to. Nevertheless, the mission was considered a huge success, and SpaceX is eager to prove that it can duplicate it.
Obviously the stakes are even higher this time around since SpaceX has a paying customer that is expecting its satellite to be carried aloft in one piece. SpaceX has had a fairly spotless record as of late, and a second successful Falcon Heavy launch would really be a feather in its cap for the first half of 2019.
