Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to test launch its turbocharged Falcon Heavy rocket this afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A launch window is slated from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. There’s still a chance that inclement weather could derail the much-anticipated event. Still, the company boasted on Twitter that when the Falcon Heavy lifts off today (or if it lifts off), it will be “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.” The test rocket will be carrying Musk’s own cherry red Tesla Roadster.
How high are the stakes for SpaceX? Per the New York Times, the Falcon Heavy rocket will be able to carry a larger payload than any American rocket since NASA’s Saturn 5, which was used for the Apollo program in the 1960s and ’70s.