(MENAFN- AFP) SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk downplayed the chances of a successful first flight of his Falcon Heavy space launch vehicle, admitting that there is "a good chance it won't go into orbit on the first launch". globalnewsinsights.com
Development of the booster rocket, which is powered by 27 engines, has proven to be "much more difficult than the team initially thought," he said at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference on Wednesday.
Falcon Heavy will be the world's most powerful rocket booster, capable of delivering 54 tons of payload into orbit.
Musk said that combining three Falcon 9 rockets together multiplies vibrations throughout the vehicle, making it difficult to test without a launch.
The first test flight is scheduled for the end of the year.
The billionaire added that the best way to restore public interest in space was to build a lunar colony.
"If you want to shoot people, you have to put a base on the moon," he said, continuing to dream of the Apollo missions.
SpaceX announced in February that it had finalized a deal with two private citizens to send the farthest human journey into deep space around the moon.
Co-billionaire Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, announced in March his intention to build lunar vehicles and habitat modules for colonization and submitted a cooperation proposal to NASA.
Musk, who has said he wants to send an unmanned lander to Mars by 2020, added Wednesday that any colonization efforts should rely as much as possible on the resources available on the planet.
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