SpaceX schedules early February launch of Falcon Heavy rocket

The Falcon Heavy, a reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle, is seen as the world's most powerful rocket since NASA's Saturn V moon rocket in the 1960s.

Now, the California-based space company has scheduled the first flight of the three-core heavy-lift rocket for early February.

"Aiming for the first flight of Falcon Heavy on February 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy," SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted. "Easy viewing from the public causeway."

Its first stage is composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds (2.3 million kg) of thrust at liftoff, equal to about eighteen 747 aircraft.

Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit.

Falcon Heavy was designed to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of flying missions with a crew to the Moon or Mars, according to SpaceX.