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"exec" writes:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Developing rockets is difficult – even when those rockets use existing rocket boosters. Such is the case for SpaceX and the development of the Falcon Heavy. Once operational, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in the world. While the path to its inaugural mission has been challenging, Elon Musk is urging caution surrounding expectations of the rocket's first flight, which is expected later this year from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

The long wait is nearly over as SpaceX readies for the final series of upgrades/modifications to LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center for the upcoming debut of the company's heralded Falcon Heavy rocket.

Designed as a souped up version of the Falcon 9 – which has enjoyed a great deal of fame and attention this year with the first (and now second) reflights of previously-flown core stages as well as lofting the first reused Dragon capsule on the CRS-11 resupply mission to the ISS – Falcon Heavy's initial design seemed simple.

But as Elon Musk stated at the keynote to the ISSR&D (International Space Station Research and Development) conference on Wednesday, "it ended up being way harder to do Falcon Heavy than we thought.

"At first it sounds really easy to just stick two first stages on as strap-on side boosters. But then everything changes."

Mr. Musk admitted, "We were pretty naive about that."

-- submitted from IRC

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