This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this folio. Terms of use.

falcon heavy

SpaceX has been on the verge of test-firing its long-awaited Falcon Heavy rocket for weeks, but there's a new kink in its plans. No, it'south not a mechanical issue with the rocket. Information technology's the intractable bureaucracy of the US authorities. After previously suggesting a government shutdown would not delay the Falcon Heavy project, SpaceX at present says it won't exist able to test the rocket during a government shutdown. Fifty-fifty if the current impasse in Washington is solved, nosotros're not out of the budgetary forest simply nevertheless.

The Falcon Heavy is prepped for testing at NASA'due south Kennedy Space Eye (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It'south currently perched on historic launch pad 39A as SpaceX attempts to prepare for a static test fire. SpaceX has its own mission command personnel, but the shutdown has affected many of the support staff it needs in the government to launch from KSC.

When the US government shuts down, personnel are split into ii groups: essential and non-essential. The not-essential staff are furloughed, and so they don't show up to work and don't get paid. Essential employees nonetheless have to bear witness up for work, just they don't get paid. Congress commonly passes legislation to offer dorsum pay to these individuals after the shutdown ends. Notwithstanding, too many members of the Air Forcefulness'south 45th Space Wing are non-essential. If they aren't at work, SpaceX can't operate at KSC.

The 45th Infinite Fly is responsible for clearing airspace and making certain people on the ground remain out of harm'south mode. This is necessary even for a static burn down test, which involves igniting all 27 of the Falcon Heavy's engines while the vehicle is held in place on the basis. This is a necessary pace before an actual exam launch, which SpaceX originally promised last twelvemonth. At this charge per unit, it might not make its new promise of launching in January.

3 Falcon 9 cores class the Falcon Heavy.

In Washington, the US Congress failed to concur on a budget last week. That sent the government into shutdown manner tardily on Friday. Every bit the week gets underway with many government offices closed, a bill is working its way through Capitol Hill that should extend the budget for three weeks. That just puts SpaceX (and Congress) in a similar bind come early February. If the company makes plans to launch the Falcon Heavy adjacent month, information technology may finish up unable to do so if the government shuts down once more. Maybe SpaceX volition just wait until a more permanent solution is in place before it makes any more promises.